Why, pray tell, do government agencies charge MORE for the privilege of submitting payment online versus mailing in a check? I know that credit card processing has a fee associated with it, but to tack on extra fees on top of that is just gouging and counterproductive.
Bitter because of having to pay FREAKING $470 for a camera ticket in Elk Grove for failure to stop on a right turn AND THEN PAY TONS OF FEES ON TOP OF THAT -->
- Stephen Mack
It's also bizarre to me that they list all of the offenders and their fine in a PDF on their web site: http://saccourt.ca.gov/traffic... -- I know it's public information, but still.
- Stephen Mack
Emily's doing the "scream when Mummy leaves the room" thing today. Josiah just sat by her side and comforted her while I hung the washing out. He's the best big brother ever.
Iranian Art :: Iran :: Isfahan :: ... عزيزترين آدم های عالم، برای انسان بسيار انگشت شمارند ، ... همانها که در زندگی و قلب آدم مانند پازلی هستند ... که اگر نباشند ... نه جای خاليشون پر ميشود ... و نه چيزی و نه کسی ميتواند جايشان را بگيرد ... ه
"Two and a half miles beneath the surface of Antarctica’s central Eastern ice sheet is a body of water 160 miles by 30 miles across known as Lake Vostok, after the Vostok research station above it, built by the former Soviet Union in 1957 and now operated by Russia."
- Maitani
from Bookmarklet
"Even by Antarctic standards it’s a brutal place, with the dubious honor of holding the record for the lowest measured temperature anywhere on the planet, a mind-if-not-body numbing -129 F or -89 C. Performing any kind of mechanical or scientific work in this environment is an immense challenge."
- Maitani
I'm probably a masochist, but I really yearn to go to places like this.
- Kelli H.
I know that kind of feeling. The places I yearn for are a bit less extreme than this one, but still. I so want to go to the Himalayas!
- Maitani
My father never knew his father. He was an only child, raised by his mother. He never knew why his father either left or was kicked out -- his mother would never tell him. In his late '50s, due to a random web page I wrote about my family, my father was discovered by his half-sister.
It turns out my grandfather had started a new family, even given his new first-born son the same name as my father. My father learned this from his newly found half-sister. He also found out that his father had passed away 10 years before.
- Stephen Mack
All his life, my father loved Jewish culture, had Jewish friends, read Jewish humor books (mostly Leo Rosten).
- Stephen Mack
My father had absolutely zero idea until he was 59 that his father was Jewish.
- Stephen Mack
His mother was Catholic. She never talked about anything Jewish at all. He found it on his own.
- Stephen Mack
I don't know much about anything, but to me there's something to the idea that a Jewish identity is a mix of culture and upbringing and also in the blood.
- Stephen Mack
I woke up this morning in total pain. My hands are cramped from 5 hours straight of pushing a mower. Everything else is muscle tiredness. I'm hoping to go for a swim this afternoon. I know I'm suppose to be resting (3 days on, 1 day off) but if I don't loosen something, I feel tomorrow will be worse
- Johnny
Of what I've heard, swimming is the best thing to do. You don't necessarily need a hard swim but just getting out there, letting the water hold you up, etc. Good thing.
- Akiva
A friend of mine who used to ride 300+ miles and race 2-3 times a week would point out that "rest day" doesn't have to mean just stay on the sofa all day. You for sure want to get out and stretch and work out lactic acid from previous days training. Just keep your heart rate down in your recovery zone and noodle/wander, if you're on a bike. (OK, my "friend" is me, but that seems like an entire lifetime ago...)
- Ken Sheppardson
Slow swim and a soak in a steam room or sauna
- Mo Kargas
Or nuclear acids if you're so inclined
- Mo Kargas
I'd like to point out that even drunk I am an awesome friend. Notice how I said, "Imma let you think about that " when referring to the video I took of Colleen. I am your best friend.
- Mary Carmen
I just broke out laughing at "package deal." So many ways to interpret that.
- Katy S
Colleen is my non-sister wife, sister-wife.
- Mary Carmen
"Taught to read and write by tutors, after the war Smalls became a major general in the South Carolina militia and a state legislator. He participated in drafting the constitution of the state in which he had been a slave. He was the most powerful black man in South Carolina for five decades."
- MoTO Bott
from Bookmarklet
Indeed he was, Mandy. My parents gave me a set of comic books featuring historic black figures when I was a kid (wish I still had them). Smalls was my favorite. Still is.
- MoTO Bott
See http://ff.im/R6iOH for a picture reference. ;) Adrian, I spent the first 25 years of my life just sleeping in the clothes I wore that day. Then my Mom started buying me pajamas and nightgowns (I think she was hoping I would grow up a little at that point) and I've never looked back. I love sleeping in pjs. :)
- Kelli H.
Wow, I've hit 41 without PJ's, I give up on this growing up business. :) But seriously, I do keep thinking of getting some nice flannel PJ's for the winter, but I never seem to get around to it.
- TINY REPTILIAN PYROMANIAC
#SaturdayFF in college my friend scored tix to u2's zoo tv tour, but the seats were behind the stage, upper level. did not care, too excited. we went early so i could get tshirts for my friends. made our way up to the seats. as we were sitting there some cops came by and swapped our tickets with those they got off scalpers outside (busted!).
Apparently, Deutsche Bahn employees really, really, really don't like it when the general public uses their trash bins for recycling.
- Cristal Blue Persuasion
As we don't have paper recycling bins in our apartment complex, it was suggested, when I first got here, that we use the bins at the Regional/S-bahn stop across the street from where I live to recycle our paper stuffs.
- Cristal Blue Persuasion
Today, I got accosted by one of the DB peeps, who, from what I could (barely) make out, asked if I was going to throw my trash in the bin, that I was not allowed to, and, would call the police if I attempted to do so. I said that I wasn't and walked away, with the guy yelling after me as I was doing so.
- Cristal Blue Persuasion
Yeah, it was rude, but y'know, it's -20 C, I'm trying to get my errands done, and threatening me with arrest for my attempts to help the environment, in the gotdamb cold, is NOT the way to influence my way of thinking.
- Cristal Blue Persuasion
I came home and told hubs we either find another place to recycle the paper stuffs, or we stop separating the paper out from the rest of the trash. I am NOT having this.
- Cristal Blue Persuasion
Should've moved to Ireland. If you were in Ireland, they probably would've asked you what time they could pick it up to recycle it for you.
- Bubba Botts
Here, some towns have mandatory recycling, and some towns don't. People living in the towns that don't, that care about the environment and are willing to go out of their way to dispose of their stuff properly, usually find a nearby town that does and then cart their recycleables to that town's Department of Public Works recycling yard. They never ask you to prove you are a resident before taking your stuff, they just assume you are. Maybe this is an option where you live?
- April
"These are words I never thought I’d string together: I just spent the past few days on a humanitarian mission in Africa… with50 Cent. The rapper/actor/entrepreneur has set a goal of delivering a billion meals through the UN World Food Programme. The money for this plan is to come from sales of his new energy drink, called Street King."
- Eric
from Bookmarklet
The fact that even though she's only nine I've done a fantastic job raising my daughter to be a good person would make me happy
- G Dub of the Carolinas
Congrats! How has the increase in physical fitness felt? Are you stronger and more energetic?
- Spidra Webster
Having better fitness is great. Used to get winded climbing stairs, not anymore! Unfortunately, my weight loss hasn't helped my bad back issues - been fighting back pain for 5 months. Hard to exercise when you're in pain!
- Ken Gidley
That's too bad. I'm pretty sure losing weight off my gut would help my back issues. Do you do hamstring stretches? My chiro told me (and my experience bears out) that tight hamstrings can pull on things in a way that causes low back pain. Of course, if your back pain is due to disc issues, that's another kettle of fish.
- Spidra Webster
Has this all been due to bike riding or have you had a program involving diet regimen and other exercises? I'm curious because I have chronic pain from disability. As you say, it's hard to exercise when you're in pain. I'm trying to change my eating regimen again as well as exercise even more. I'm curious what worked for you.
- Spidra Webster
I don't stretch enough, but I do have disc issues. Had surgery 15 years back, looking like I may need another go of it. :(
- Ken Gidley
Spidra - the biggest thing for me was changing my diet. I've used LoseIt.com and the companion iPhone app to help me set a daily calorie budget (based on my current weight and the rate I wanted to lose weight - 1.5 lbs / per week), and track all my calorie intake. I log every bite I eat, every day now. I can eat anything I want, so long as I have the room in my calorie budget for the...
more...
- Ken Gidley
"calorie budget" - what an awesome concept :)
- Brent
from iPhone
The biking has helped with the fitness aspect, plus I found I really enjoy it, so it gives me something to do besides sit on the couch and eat.
- Ken Gidley
Wow! Also, I love the crazy lighting on your cheeks in the third picture, due to your glasses. Either that or it was face-painting day at work again. :-)
- Brian Johns
Brent, it's a simple idea too, and very powerful. It has taken a year to get where I am, but I really haven't felt at all deprived during that time. I still eat the foods I love, just less off them. I had a Philly Cheesesteak and fries at lunch today - well, half a sandwich, and half the fries! Had the other half of the sandwich for dinner.
- Ken Gidley
Brian - I didn't want to wait until the afternoon to replicate the lighting conditions of the middle picture - my photographer (wife) had other things to do... :)
- Ken Gidley
"The beautifully-colored Fuertes's Parrot, also known as the Indigo-winged Parrot, was thought to be extinct for 90 years, but was rediscovered in 2002 by ABC’s Colombian partner, Fundación ProAves. A small population of 60 individuals was found living in fragmented and unprotected high-Andean cloud forests of Quindio Department. Since then, concerted action has protected the tiny range of the Fuertes’s Parrot. ProAves and other conservation groups have established a series of reserves known collectively as the Threatened Parrot Corridor. Together these reserves cover roughly 19,000 acres of key habitat, and protect approximately 70% of the Fuertes's Parrot population as well as populations of four other species of imperiled parrots: the Yellow-eared Parrot, Rusty-faced Parrot, the Golden-plumed Parakeet, and the Rufous-fronted Parakeet. A nest box program has been initiated in the reserves and has helped bolster the Fuertes's population significantly."
- John (bird whisperer)
So I guess someone admin'ing spam accidentally got in the middle of some religious dispute, and now the spam report and some other rooms are getting spammed hard.
I think it's the Mullah lovers of Iran who are mad that their other spamming accounts are getting blocked (edit: meant deleted). I think they're trying to drown the dissidents.
- Eivind