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| Author |
Message |
| 25 new of 95 responses total. |
tod
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response 31 of 95:
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Jan 27 17:12 UTC 2006 |
re #29
Yea, I worked at Chrysler when ol Bob was doing his silly aviator mishaps.
He crashed one or two helicopters, too.
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gull
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response 32 of 95:
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Jan 31 07:06 UTC 2006 |
Re resp:30: I always heard that airlines preferred to hire military
*transport* pilots, and looked at fighter pilots with suspicion because
they tended to be 'cowboys.'
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mcnally
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response 33 of 95:
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Jan 31 08:24 UTC 2006 |
Over the last few days we've been getting snow, which does wonders
for my spirits. Ketchikan's (extremely) rainy winters have a
tendency to be somewhat depressing so just getting a change in the
weather is nice enough. But on top of the welcome novelty there's
also the fact that the area looks fantastic in the snow.
This afternoon there was a moment when, taking a break from work,
I walked outside for a moment and it was like stepping into a photograph.
Several inches of delicate feather-fresh snowfall had settled over
everything, rendering shapes vague and unfamiliar, and in the dim
late afternoon light the color of the sky was like unpolished silver.
Across the Narrows the snow-covered trees stood out on the mountain
on Gravina Island that sun would shortly set behind, but in the dying
light they looked black, not green. In fact, between the white snow
and the black trees and silver sky not a speck of color was to be seen,
magnifying the surreal photographic quality of the scene and the
almost-feeling of having stepped briefly into another world..
Not every snowbound moment in Ketchikan is quite that memorable,
of course, and as much as I enjoy the aesthetic advantages of fresh
snowfall every time it snows there are some practical concerns to
be dealt with as well. To begin with there are the 40-some stairs
between the street and my house, an undercount, if anything, because
after the first snowfall of the season, when I found I could not
extricate my car from the slanted-downhill space where I'm accustomed
to parking, I've taken to parking in a more advantageously oriented
space a block or so further down the hill whenever it looks like
snow or ice. Nor is even getting to the vicinity of my house even
guaranteed, as many of the precipitous uphill streets are closed at
the first sign of snow and even the ones that remain are remarkably
treacherous in my car. Walking is not much better as many sidewalks
hide icy patches corresponding to places where water is accustomed
to seep from rock walls and some of the wooden boardwalk streets
in parts of my neighborhood as as good as frictionless when there's
even a bit of frost.
But I have to say that I *really* love sitting in my living room
on the second floor of the house and watching out the window
whenever it snows. I'm not exactly sure why but I find the effect
mesmerizing beyond any reasonable explanation. My house is perched
above a fairly steep drop-off with a relatively clear view down
to the harbor near the creek mouth. A slice of downtown is spread
out beneath my windows and I love to sit and watch the snow swirl
down and settle over the town below.
And it was clear this afternoon that I'm not the only one who loves
the snow.. I drove home briefly at 3:00 PM to meet with the
carpenter who's doing renovation work for me in the downstairs
rental and the route I chose going home took me past the tops of
several of the steep streets in town. Gathered in crowds at the
top of each of them I saw dozens of kids from grade-school age to
what looked like late high school, clutching red plastic sleds and
waiting their turns to whiz down the snow- covered streets. Seeing
the grade-school kids wasn't much of a surprise (except that I
admired their initiative..) but I was pleased to see the high-schoolers
taking part as well. Memories of my own adolescence suggest that
my friends and I would have been too concerned, at that age, with
our image (as if anything could have further tarnished the social
standing of a clutch of misfit bookish computer nerds..)
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tod
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response 34 of 95:
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Jan 31 18:30 UTC 2006 |
re #32
Actually, the only noticable difference in airline pilots are between prior
Navy aviators and the rest (Air Force, private flight academy, etc.) because
Navy aviators tend to bounce the rear landing gear to catch the tailhook.
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nharmon
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response 35 of 95:
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Jan 31 18:54 UTC 2006 |
Not all of them. P-3 pilots tend not to develop those types of habits. ;)
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tod
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response 36 of 95:
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Jan 31 18:56 UTC 2006 |
You sure?
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nharmon
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response 37 of 95:
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Jan 31 18:58 UTC 2006 |
Pretty sure, since P-3 pilots don't land on aircraft carriers. :)
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tod
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response 38 of 95:
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Jan 31 19:25 UTC 2006 |
The only pilots on aircraft carriers are helo pilots.
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nharmon
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response 39 of 95:
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Jan 31 19:31 UTC 2006 |
huh?
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mcnally
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response 40 of 95:
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Jan 31 19:39 UTC 2006 |
They're the ones who are into Helo Kitty, and they have the *cutest*
insignia patches..
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tod
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response 41 of 95:
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Jan 31 19:47 UTC 2006 |
Let's move the aviator discussion to another item. We're dorking up
Ketchikan.
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marcvh
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response 42 of 95:
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Jan 31 19:48 UTC 2006 |
Also HELO pilots have a bad habit of falling in love with toasters.
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edina
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response 43 of 95:
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Jan 31 22:46 UTC 2006 |
Now that was fracking funny.
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bhelliom
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response 44 of 95:
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Feb 1 04:08 UTC 2006 |
ROTFL!
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bhoward
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response 45 of 95:
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Feb 1 05:09 UTC 2006 |
Just heard mention in some of the post state-of-the-union analysis
of the famous Kitchikan bridge to nowhere (mentioned as an example
of silly things that ought to be removed from the budget).
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tod
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response 46 of 95:
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Feb 1 05:56 UTC 2006 |
I just heard Cindy Sheehan was arrested because she wouldn't cover up her
t-shirt.
Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig
Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil!
Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig
Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig
Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil!
Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig
Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig
Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil!
Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!Seig Heil! Seig Heil!
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mcnally
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response 47 of 95:
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Feb 1 06:04 UTC 2006 |
re #46:
1) *Sieg*
2) How about taking it to another item?
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gull
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response 48 of 95:
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Feb 1 08:35 UTC 2006 |
I've been hearing a lot about the "bridge to nowhere." It's sort of
become the poster child for pork.
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tod
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response 49 of 95:
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Feb 1 17:01 UTC 2006 |
re #47
Das tut mir leid, Grammatik Spindel! ;)
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mcnally
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response 50 of 95:
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Feb 1 17:43 UTC 2006 |
re #41:
> I've been hearing a lot about the "bridge to nowhere."
> It's sort of become the poster child for pork.
I wonder if that's more because of the gratuitously unnecessary
nature of the project or because Senator Stevens doesn't even
*pretend* to offer any justification for it (apart from "Alaska
needs money.")
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gull
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response 51 of 95:
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Feb 2 00:55 UTC 2006 |
I think more the former. It's a tangible thing everyone can grasp.
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mcnally
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response 52 of 95:
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Feb 5 05:30 UTC 2006 |
Today was a sunny Saturday (a rarity this time of year) and I've
been flirting with seasonal burnout at work and at home, mostly
due to not having enough time to unwind on the weekends. The house
renovation is making progress but I'm tired of it eating up half
or more of every weekend.. So I chucked most of my house-related
plans for the day, trimming back to just one dump run and a trip
to the hardware store to pick up the click-together laminate
flooring that's going on the floor in the kitchen in the rental
unit.
Instead, I went down to the library to return some books, then walked
around downtown with my camera. Some time ago someone (Mary, I think)
asked for some pictures of what the town looks like and today was a
pretty good day to be wandering around with a camera and no fixed
agenda.
After about an hour of wandering around downtown I'd filled the
remaining space on my camera's memory card but hadn't had my fill
of walking so I strolled back to the car and drove out to Ward Lake
to make the circuit around the small lake in the fading afternoon
light. With clear skies and snow on the mountains it was scenic
enough to make me regret the other Saturdays I've spent indoors
this winter.
Down towards the end of the lake opposite the parking lot I stopped
to admire a trio of trumpeter swans feeding in the shallows. As I
stood relatively motionless on the trail by the lakeside a heron
swooped in and landed on the bank just below me, giving me a splendid
show in the process. Alas, I'd left my camera in the car on account
of the memory card being full, so no photos, but it's quite something
when a bird with a wingspan as big you are, oblivious to your presence,
lands only a few feet away. And I have a soft spot for the herons.
Eagles and ravens get all the attention up here but I think I like
watching the herons best -- they're elegant and poised one minute
and comical the next depending on what they're doing. Anyway I think
they're seriously underrated and I can always spare a few minutes to
admire one but they're pretty vigilant birds and I don't usually manage
to get so close.
Anyway, had a nice afternoon in the sunshine and then stopped at the
grocery store for a bit of shopping on the way home. Consequently I
didn't make it back to the house until a little after 5:00 PM but I
was delighted to note that the last of our twilight this evening
didn't disappear until well after 5:00, which is a vast improvement
over a month and a half ago when things were usually pitch black
not much after 4:00.. Winter is halfway to spring and the days are
getting noticably longer. I keep wondering when the crocus bulbs I
planted are going to show themselves but we're probably due for a
another couple of weeks of occasional frost and cold; hopefully they'll
come in due time.
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mcnally
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response 53 of 95:
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Feb 5 10:29 UTC 2006 |
Photos from my walk around downtown Ketchikan today at:
http://www.dfred.net/~mcnally/Around_Town.html
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slynne
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response 54 of 95:
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Feb 5 14:45 UTC 2006 |
Nice photos. Ketchikan certainly seems like a town with a lot of
character.
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mcnally
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response 55 of 95:
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Feb 5 19:37 UTC 2006 |
That's certainly true of the older parts, which are where I live
and what I photographed. There are some more recently built-up
residential neighborhoods that aren't very exciting architecturally
but even in neighborhoods with 70s-era construction the terrain
still leads to some interesting choices.
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