frissonic

1. I have a buddy who pretty much runs a microbrewery out here. He actually turns a bit of a profit, as he sells a lot of what he concocts on the side. He keeps it pretty DL cuz the liquor laws out here are out of control (no lie--beer in Utah can be no more than 2%, except for what you can get on the air force base, which is typical 4%). 2. I pity your daughter's boyfriend. :) 3. That's really awesome. I've looked at trying to get more involved with our community out here, but I haven't done much beyond that. Holding a fundraiser would be pretty awesome. 4. My wife and I are getting to that point. We made some beef ribs for the super bowl. Unfortunately, our upstairs oven only goes as low as 170F. I prefer cooking a rack of beef ribs at 150 for 12 hours. the 20 degree difference makes them pretty ... well, not as fall-off-the-bone as I would like. I would try grilling them, but It's hell trying to get the grill to stay a consistent temp in the winter.

It wouldn't happen to be the T3 or T3i, would it? I have the previous model in the T2i. I love it. I've used 300mm lenses, 10mm fisheyed lenses, and a bunch in between. The problem I'm running into is that L-series lenses from Canon will run anywhere from $800 to over $15000. That's right--$15000+. I wouldn't use that expensive of a lens on my little camera, but I know people that have them, and ... yah. Of course, they also paid upwards of $3000 for the camera body alone, so it's not surprising that they get the expensive pro lenses. Photography is addicting man. I picked up a little intervalometer that I plan on bringing with me on the x-country trip. Hoping to get some sick shots of the summer night sky while down in Moab, but that'll depend on moon phase.with my luck, it'll be a full moon the two days we're down there. :)

So, we're a pretty diverse group, living in diverse locations. Odds are, a lot of us will never have the chance to meet in person. We all can figure out each other's stands on hockey, politics, etc ... but those really don't define us as individuals. Right now, we seem to fall into two categories as Sabres' fans--love to hate, or hate to love. Politics is pretty two-dimensional as well, with varying shades of gray in between. And the potential for vitriolic posts in political threads is ... well, it's almost a guaranteed tinderbox. With that in mind, and knowing that many of us will never get to meet one another, I propose this thread: posting your hobbies. Your crafts. Your skills. Your interests. What makes you YOU? Before I post mine, I will say this: you are welcome to self-promote and brag. That's the point of this thread: show us your talents! Your interests! YOU! (Well, maybe not *all* of you, lest we have to switch the domain to a .xxx extension). And now ... I like photography. I'm getting better at it, and I have a lot of fun stuff planned for this summer as far as pics go. For any interested parties, I maintain a flickr account here. Feel free to peruse. So feel free to share as much or as little of your hobbies, projects (completed or not), interests ... whatever!

yah, the liquigels are hands-down the fastest acting, most effective i've found with tension headaches. also, DO NOT DRINK ANY CAFFEINE WHILE ON THEM. you'll just regret it later. you may already know this, but in case you don't, caffeine acts as a blood thinner. it tends to help blood flow, which eases the tension in the back. the problem is that, once that wears off, you're uber-mega-hosed. i've been hospitalized for these. they were *that* bad. only happened 3 times in about 17 years of having them, but regardless, i've seen it all. "migraine cocktails," tramadol, torodol, thorizne, benedryl, flexeril, robaxin, skelaxin, carisoprodol, imitrex, lortab, codeine, percocet, darvocet, oxycodone ... and even with all that, the liquigels always worked better. it got to the point where if i felt one coming on, i would immediately pop 4, and voila--no headache! OH!! also ... these are things that i noticed as "triggers": dehydration hunger exhaustion constipation. seems like there was a 5th, but those 4 are primary. eat regularly and drink a *lot* of water, get plenty of sleep, poop a lot ... should help keep the headaches to a minimum in intensity and frequency.

where is your headache? front? back? does it start in your back and migrate up to the back of your skull? i only ask the bizzaro questions because i used to get severe tension headaches. got them for decades. finally went to a chiropractor in jan 2009. not sure what he did, but boy howdy it helped a metric sh**-ton. haven't had one since! well, not nearly as severe as i used to get them, anyway. anyway, something to consider. another thing to look at is your pillow. it could be too high or too low for your neck. if it is, it puts a lot of strain on middle back (i know ... i thought that was weird too, but it's true!), which is where tension headaches almost always start. as far as meds go, ibuprofen or naproxen have always worked for me. but then again, so has lortab. :)

When the cafeteria menu says, "french toast casserole," and I go down there expecting to order "french toast casserole," I do not expect to be greeted with a look of utter confusion with a follow-up scorwl, only to be told, "We're not serving french toast casserole today," even though the stack of menus sitting on their counter specifically says, "2/16--A.M. Eye Opener: French Toast Casserole...An egg, milk, cream, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg batter poured over French bread, topped with a walnut, butter and brown sugar mixture and baked! Served with fresh fruit." Indeed, I expect that what's on the menu is going to be available, or, if they've run out of material or they just can't make it, to at least have it explained that they're not making it today because [insert excuse/reason here]. #firstworldprobs

hey man! thanks for asking. she started the week pretty rough--2 red days in a row at school, one of which was for stealing candy from a kid's backpack. awesome. :) but then yesteday she was really close to having a green day, but she took some kids' coats at recess "because i wanted them to play with me." talk about a heart-ripping story. :( but other than that, her teacher said that she was really, really good. she's been really responding well to some of the oils and all of the supplements. it's a whole lot of trial and error--trying to find a balance that works specifically for her, but i think we're sneaking up on a blend that helps keep her calm and able to concentrate at school, and responsive and listening to us as parents at home. we'll get her there. i just shudder at thinking about putting her back on the concerta meds. she's been eating so well that she actually outweighs her older sister. no grand feat; her sister barely weighs over 40 pounds at the ripe old age of 7 and pushing close to 8. but she's eating so much better now--full meals, 2 or 3 helpings at dinner ... it's good to see her eating well. now ... if we could JUST get her to consistently have a green day at school! but we're getting closer!

No ... no there are not. Explosive cat diarrhea might trump that, but you are correct--the list of things that could top that is pretty short.

cottage cheese bed with peaches and pineapple. hey, the scale doesn't lie; down 20 pounds in 2 months. it's all about portions and exercise, baby!

Today, as you are no doubt all aware, is February 10th. By all standard definitions, it is winter. Winter typically brings snow, cloudy days, and general chill that numbs you to the bone. Right now, my daughters are in the backyard, playing in shorts and t-shirts. It's about 50 degrees. The sun is shining. Nary a cloud nor wisp of white can be found anywhere in the sky. All that's up there is blue, blue, and more blue. And some black, but those are just the birds flying around. "F'N Fantastic" doesn't even begin to describe today.

she's better than gerbe. she's a wicked smart red head. that trumps ... well, just about anything. :wub: hey, facts are facts.

she's at least a 7 ... out of 9. :blush:

i was done with my 40-hour work week by 9:05. sort of. i took off monday to go to the doc. because our manager allows us to make up hours over the course of a week, i've whittled 9 hours of sick time down to 5 as of 9 am. so between sick time and regular work hours, i have my 40. the question is: do i want to stay an extra 2-3 hours and whittle it down further? if i do, and i end up needing another sick day (always a possibility), i have 37-38 hours left in my bank. if not, i have 35. the reality is that i have literally nothing going on the rest of the day. my work load has dried up, and while my manager is working on getting additional contracts, it's not happening this week, or probably next week. the ethical me thinks i should just leave and not "bilk." however, i need to whittle my sick hours used back down to about 2-3. not that i don't have floating holiday hours and banked vacation time, but i *really* don't want to touch that until may, maybe august. if i can keep from using any other annually given time (e.g. sick leave and floating holidays), then i can take a day in may to go check out this annular solar eclipse in southern utah. if this were a tweet, it'd be a) way too long, b) hashtagged with #firstworldproblems. :) right now, i'm leaning towards staying until noon. :)

i've actually been looking into what it would take to make my own smoker, just for kicks and the like. this ... this might be a deal breaker. and they sell them just up the street from me. hmm... for that, i'd MAKE room. :) if it means clearing out a flower bed in the front yard, or removing the mail box post. something's gotta give!

give it up for long haul!!! congrats on the pulls. that should be some excellent checkage. :) as for my effin' frickin' fantastic friday, leaving work at noon, going home and taking a nap (cuz i got here at frickin' 5 ... i think i deserve a nap!), got up at 4 to throw my fred flinstone-sized beef rib rack in the oven. having worked on it over the few weeks before the super bowl, i now have it down to perfection. apply rub and wrap in cellophane (one layer) and tin foil (shiny side OUT) the night before. in oven, place 9 x 13 pan on bottom rack with 1/2" water. mix in an entire bottle of applewood liquid smoke. heat oven to 150, place ribs on middle rack. let cook for 12 hours. that's right--12 hours. after 12 hours, remove ribs from oven. unwrap tinfoil carefully so it doesn't rip. remove cellophane wrap. drain grease, preferably into old tin can (e.g. green beans, baked beans, corn ... what have you). place ribs back on tin foil. slather both sides in bbq sauce of choice. rewrap somewhat loosely and place back in oven for 30-45 minutes. remove from oven and eat! now ... to be fair, with beef ribs, there really is no way to eat them with any decorum, so you might as well get as primal on them as you want. think "caveman." you'll enjoy them more if you do. also, have about 50 napkins or paper towels on hand. my gift to you ... on this F'N FANTASTIC FRIDAY.

bio's a ginger. that's an automatic win in my book. :thumbsup:

coke zero is superior, IMO, but whatever. pick your poison, i suppose.

you are every man's dream come true. you know this, don't you? :)

my old roommate--interestingly enough, a round, tall, fat-a** ginger--had man boobs. no lie, at least a d-cup. boy was large and floppy. great, now i'm stuck with the "fresh out of the shower" and his dish-rag-sized towel image stuck in my head. just fantastic.

not to rub it in, but ... i have one. and no--i'm not offering to share. she's mine. all mine. :thumbsup:

sorry to hear that man. i can totally relate to the taxes thing. we're *still* paying back taxes on our '08 return due to a lack of full disclosure on a) the IRS's part, b) my lousy HR rep who had no functional knowledge of "tax brackets." fricking' idiot ...

sitting around waiting for my yearly work eval!!!!!! oh, wait ...

^^^^^^^ That right there is funny stuff.

i think each thread has its place. "complaint thursday" and "WTF wednesdays" do not need to, nor should they, overlap. like i said with that link, THAT was very much a distinct "WTF" article. and maybe i'll repost it there next week, but by then i'll have found so many more WTF articles that that one won't even matter. i have your back on this one. i like complaint thursday and F'N fantastic friday. i like "WTF wednesday." "tasty hug tuesday ..." yah. umm ... hmm. hey, it's the effort that counts, right?!

See, I think your thread has its place. There really are WTF moments out there. This article proves it.