BS: The Inside Scoop

Subject: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Allan C.
Date: 19 Apr 03 - 03:40 PM

I've been thinking - always a dangerous thing! There 'Catters here occupy a broad spectrum of the working society and there are others who may not work outside of the home and still others who have done both. There simply must be a wealth of "insider" information to be shared. Why not tell us some of the bits of wisdom you have gleaned? I'll start. When you add to this thread, it may be helpful to clearly label the category like this:

HOTELS (USA)
My experience with hotels is limited to the United States for the most part and so others may want to comment on those elsewhere. The first and most important thing to know is that you should almost never pay what is known as the "rack rate". If you are standing at the desk of a hotel, feel free to bargain. Almost everyone has some sort of discount with which to negotiate, such as, AARP or AAA (Triple A). Most hotels will not require you to demonstrate your membership in either of these. You can usually get at least 10% off the rack rate by mentioning these. Some hotels will offer the 10% discount to anyone over the age of 50; for others it is 60 regardless of any sort of membership. Are you in the military? Especially right now, most hotels will give a healthy discount to anyone flashing a military ID even if you aren't traveling in conjunction with a military function. Some hotels have deals worked out with local hospitals. If you have come to town especially for the purpose of a hospital appointment, be sure to say something about it to the desk clerk.

Most of you know there are online services available such as Hotel.com by which excellent discounts can be found. At this writing it is still a very good idea, when using this or other similar services, to confirm your reservation directly with the hotel after waiting a day or so. Unfortunately, there are still glitches between the online services and the hotel chains' own reservations services. This problem will soon be rectified by a new agent that will emerge very soon called, Travelweb.com.

Some hotels and especially resorts have a bad weather discount. After all, you may be vacationing and your trip plans may be spoiled by foul weather. Sometimes there are concessions in price available.

If no other discount seems to be available to you, simply ask for the "best rate". That's right. Sometimes it is that simple. Just ask. If the hotel really wants to sell the room, they'll give it to you. The "best rate" is sometimes as much as a 40% discount!

One other thing to remember - if you are tired enough, a bed is just a bed. When you compare prices between hotels be sure you take into account what extras are offered - especially those that will save you money. Do they have a free "continental breakfast"? If so, is that a piece of dry toast and a glass of juice or does it include scrambled eggs, sausage and gravy? Do they offer free shuttle service to the airport? It all adds up, you know.

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Amos
Date: 19 Apr 03 - 04:10 PM

AllanC:

Wonderful idea. I am sorry to say I don't think there are many takers for inside tips on systems analysis, but I will be watching with interest.


A

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Allan C.
Date: 19 Apr 03 - 04:17 PM

It doesn't need to be job-related. It could be a wheelchair bound person's viewpoint on how they would want people to deal with them. It could be your thoughts on how to find your way around a strange city. It could be a few hints on what to consider when requesting graphic design work or printing. Lots of possibilities...

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Ebbie
Date: 19 Apr 03 - 05:10 PM

Allan C, I'll never forget one motel manager's kindness to me. I was traveling from Arizona to Oregon with my 6-year old daughter and trying to get as far as I could in a single day in response to a family situation at home. Got as far as King City. Turned out there was a convention in town; there were no rooms to be had.

At this one fancier large motel close to the restaurant where we ate a late dinner, the manager was apologetic and concerned. Then he suggested that we take this one large suite, complete with jacuzzi, which had not been taken, for the price of a regular room. I took it gratefully.

We were there only a few hours then were on our way but that was neat.

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Mudlark
Date: 19 Apr 03 - 06:15 PM

Shopping: If you care about what you eat, read labels. If you can't pronounce any of the ingredients, don't buy. Pay attention to packaging: the less plastic the better.

Microwaving: Dont microwave in plastic!It drives dioxins into food.

Buying plants: Especially true for 6-pack starts: check to make sure the plants aren't root-bound by gently pulling up one plant from packaging. If there are lots of roots showing on the outside of the rootball, the plants will likely go downhill, no matter how carefully you plant.

Cleaning: The only cleaning product you really need is hot water. For heavy grease, add a bit of vinegar. Cheaper, and much healthier...no fumes.

God, I sound like my mother!

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: katlaughing
Date: 19 Apr 03 - 06:30 PM

Great idea, Allan! I'll have to think on it a bit. For now, though, I'd say it would be better if folks wouldn't automatically assume someone on oxygen was a smoker or has problems with their lungs. I keep threatening to get a tshirt that says, "No, I never smoked!"

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Sorcha
Date: 19 Apr 03 - 07:01 PM

I'm with kat, thinking about it.............

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Allan C.
Date: 19 Apr 03 - 07:02 PM

NATIONAL ZOO in Washington D.C. and maybe others -

Most people presume or may have read somewhere that the opening time for the zoo is 10 in the morning. This is unfortunate. By that hour most of the animals have already been fed and are feeling rather lethargic. More often than not they will soon be trying to find a shady spot to spend the majority of the rest of the day. I haven't been to this zoo for a couple of years, but I think it is safe to say that is well worth knowing that visitors are not turned away if they arrive early. Try getting there at about 6:30 or 7. The air will be filled with every manner of animal sounds, most particularly that of the yet-to-be-fed big cats. Their roars are awesome! Nearly all of the animals will be much more active and far less likely to be tucked away where you can't see them. Actual opening times are:

May 1 to September 15:
Grounds    6 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Buildings 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

September 16 to April 30 :
Grounds    6 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Buildings 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Sorcha
Date: 19 Apr 03 - 09:03 PM

Cooking
A dash of nutmeg will take out a burnt taste
A cut up potato will take out too much salt
Cut up carrots will take out too much picante/caspicum
Never ever try to more than double a recipe. Make multiple batches

Gardening
A small spoonful of Epsom salts in the tomato hole helps them produce more
(Allan, your tomato trick didn't work at all for me--soil too sandy)

Herbal Vet/Medicine
If your critter has the runs, feed it canned pumpkin, a tablespoon or so a day
If your critter is severely constipated (as in an emergency), force any kind of oil (veg, safflower, etc) down it's mouth using a large syringe or baster
Comfrey/aloe salve is great for abrasions etc.
For dogs 'blowing coat', comb as well as possible, wet down, slather in baby oil, rinse out using the hottest water possible. Shampoo and rinse as usual. Helps a lot

I know there is more.........

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Sorcha
Date: 19 Apr 03 - 09:08 PM

Oh yea, from Mrs. Cop----

If ever stopped by the police, turn on the dome light immediately
Keep both hands on the steering wheel or in plain sight
Do NOT reach to the glove box or under the seat until asked for ID, etc, then SAY where it is and what you are going to do
Do NOT get out of the car/vehicle unless told to by the officer
Always do exactly what the officer tells you to, EXACTLY
If there is anything slightly suspicious in the vehicle, such as (in US) a legal gun, SAY SO and where it is.
Stay calm and polite if at all possible
Never ever run from the police--there are more of them than of you
and they WILL catch you. Then it will be worse

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: mg
Date: 19 Apr 03 - 10:43 PM

those steam cleaners like you see on infomercials really work. mg

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Peg
Date: 20 Apr 03 - 01:40 AM

Well, I have worked as a cake decorator, janitor, actress, artist's model, exotic dancer, teacher, writer, film critic and secretary...how about some cleaning tips? ;)

For non-toxic cleaning without poison: hot water, like Mudlark says...I also use baking soda (used dry on a damp sponge, it cleans bathroom surfaces and stainless steel sinks just like Comet or Ajax), white vinegar (good for odors), and lemon juice in the drain (pour down after baking soda to clean and refresh drain.
Murphy's oil soap is great for wood floors; very safe and smells good. Simply Green is another good natural cleaner.


for handwashing clothes: no need to buy Woolite, which is actually a bit harsh on delicates and smells yucky. I use shampoo! Get the cheap brand like Suave; I like the lavender-scented one which also helps repel moths if you wash sweaters in it before storing.


How to stay healthy without health insurance! But a bottle of tea tree oil, some calcium supplements, a few varieties of herbal tea (including chamomile, nettle, ginger and peppermint) and some vitamin C, and that oughta do it...oh, and eat well, exercise, don't smoke, and get enough sleep and fresh air.


If your dog or cat has a tapeworm or other parasite; put a teaspoonful of ground RAW pumpkin seeds on their food for a few days...

How to save a fortune on clothing and household goods: shop at the Goodwill and other thrift stores...it's even become fashionable to do so.

If you find yourself buying more than four copies of a magazine per year, just get a subscription; you'll save a lot of money.

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Apr 03 - 11:29 PM

I love cleaning tips. I am in an intellectual way very domestic in that I love reading about these things..I rarely apply them and am just a horrible housekeeper though. But I love those orange glo type cleaners. They are especially good on stoves and anything greasy like oven hoods. Also Pine Sol is great...I love Windex and consider it magical but I doubt it is good for the environment...I truly believe in hanging clothes out to dry and ripping up wall to wall carpeting..what else..well, I'll think of more later..oh yes..take out the vegetable crispers ( some people call them vegetable rotters) of your reefer if you tend to rot things there..just put a tupperware container there for your vegetables and you can wash it in the dishwasher, which I hope you have.. mine is my pride and joy. mg

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Sorcha
Date: 20 Apr 03 - 11:32 PM

MudCat Energy and comfrey/aloe salve are GREAT for road rash.......grin

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Apr 03 - 11:43 PM

Lots of pastoral care tips, don't really wanna post them.....

Plus liturgical details, how to feed a working pastor....

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Sorcha
Date: 20 Apr 03 - 11:45 PM

*BG*, Whizzy

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Peg
Date: 20 Apr 03 - 11:51 PM

Windex can de diluted at least half by water and still be just as effective as a window cleaner; it's made to be WAY too strong and is very toxic. Another tip; use newspapers for window cleaning; just as effective as paper towels and you're recycling...

I find Pine-Sol gives me a headache. Most commercial cleansers are very toxic.

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: wysiwyg
Date: 21 Apr 03 - 12:11 AM

Liturgical details: an acolyte who is sure she can do nothing right (and tells everyone this) can actually be the most graceful one of the bunch, and the sweetest, especially when she pours wine all over the priest's hand instead of the water. However the priest himself can top her story, having stomped HIS priest's little priesty-hat one day accidentally right in the middle of mass, and had the BALLS to punch it back to shape before he spotted the dent, and hand it back to the priest with perfect acolytish correctness at the end of the mass at the grand exit.

Also, if you are going to fall right into the open grave on a rainy (muddy) day, at least do it at the very first funeral you conduct. That way it gets the suspense over with early in one's career. I know of two who have done this.

Clergy-feeding: Fat. Lots of fat, for fast energy and good sleeping. And on Good Friday-- RARE roast "trout." Delmonico if no sirloin tip roast of "trout" available. Do this and your priest is still alive at the end of Easter Day.

Hmmmm......... Do not wear a priest's collar to the hospital unless you ARE a priest... or unless you know how to give Last Rites properly when desperate women garbed all in black grab you in the hallway. Oh yeah.

The parish secretary is ALWAYS right.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Sorcha
Date: 21 Apr 03 - 12:16 AM

ROF, here! How about when the deceased's foot crashes through the casket at the cemetary because the catafalque failed? Saw that once.

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: wysiwyg
Date: 21 Apr 03 - 12:21 AM

If only that could happen WHEN the priest falls in!

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: wysiwyg
Date: 21 Apr 03 - 12:32 AM

Here are a few of the lighter aspects of pastoral care (the professional term is "bullshit")--

The following are not meant as jokes and must be received with serious compassion and respect:

"If I had known you were coming over, Father, I'd have dusted the Bible."

"Oh, wait-- I wanted to show you my new breast!" (Disappears into bedroom) "Here, hold it while I get you a linen cloth for the table." (At a home communion, about the new prosthesis.)

"My wife and I are wondering, when she passes over, do I drive her to the funeral home and do they send her to the crematory, or do I take her there?" (A detail to settle the last act of love and care from a husband about to lose a dear wife, wanting to do it right.)


More on care of clergy, or actually spotting them before they're collared-- If the individual does not have a sense of humor at least half as sick as Spaw's, s/he cannot be a priest and might only be a deacon or a really cool lay person. Real priests have that baaaaaaaaad streak in their humor. No human being can be as holy, ALL the time, as a priest has to be when on active duty. The humanity's gotta get out of control once in awhile, and humor is the safest spot for it to pop.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: gnu
Date: 21 Apr 03 - 07:09 AM

When purchasing a home and choosing a home inspector, be sure to ask for 1) the inspector's qualifications and experience. 2) any limitations of liability contained in the contract regarding dollar and time limits and items not covered (Ask for a copy of the contract and read it.)

Many jurisdictions do not have legislation governing this business.

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Amos
Date: 21 Apr 03 - 11:40 AM

You can actually get a lot more done if you put everything away when you finish something and sweep up the sawdust.

There is no virtue in the black layer that accumulates in coffee-cups -- it does not add flavor or put hair on your chest. It just harbors microbes.

Dogs, horses and cats do not admire timidity.

You can get ten miles from being interested for every yard you can get by being interesting.

Any time you can spare a little admiration, do so -- it will come back multiplied.

Communication really is the universal solvent, but you have to apply it with intelligence.

An ounce of compassion is worth a pound of cure.

A

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: MMario
Date: 21 Apr 03 - 11:45 AM

There is no virtue in the black layer that accumulates in coffee-cups

You take that back, AMOS! NOW! Or I'm a-gonna deck you - or somethin'!

HEATHEN! SACRILIGE!

I can't believe you would say that!

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Amos
Date: 21 Apr 03 - 12:51 PM

Americans are NOT violent as long as you leave their sacred icons alone....

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Allan C.
Date: 21 Apr 03 - 01:48 PM

That black layer in my coffee cup is the coffee!

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: GUEST,Blind DRunk in Blind River
Date: 21 Apr 03 - 02:11 PM

If a girl ask s you if she's "fat"...don't,like say "Is the Pope Catholic?" and dont start laffin so hard you fall out of your chair eether! They dont like it eh? Just look, like, disbelieveing and say "What????..."

If you see a "glass of beer" in the fridge, with bubbles on top...DONT assoom its real beer! It is probably a glass of pee that your idiot brother left to trick you. Smell it first. Then if it is beer drink it (Doh!). It it's pee, pour it into a beer bottle usin a funnel thingie, craxy glue a undaamged cap on the bottle and leave it in the fridge for yer F-in bruther!!! Dont forget which bottle has the pee in it! Mark it somehow.

If acyused of breakin the law or anything esle...lie! And say your bruther did it.

These 3 rules will get you out of 3 bad sityouations, eh?

BDiBR

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Morticia
Date: 21 Apr 03 - 03:39 PM

Fiona and I came up with three rules that should see you through most situations:

Laugh and Point
Run and Hide
Smile and Nod

simple but effective.

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Allan C.
Date: 22 Apr 03 - 11:18 AM

Sage advice from an old carpenter I once worked with:

Measure twice; cut once.

If at first you don't succeed get a bigger hammer; but don't force it.

A two-by-four (2X4) isn't.

Rub a finish nail on the side of your nose and it will be less likely to split the wood when you drive it in.

Never suck on an iron nail. (The same goes for "coated" nails.)

If you're hungry enough, Saltine crackers and Vienna sausages (always referred to as, VY-ennies)and a "Cocola" (aka Coca Cola) can make for a good meal.

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: harpgirl
Date: 22 Apr 03 - 10:55 PM

It takes a lot of planning to run out of gas. (plan to get gas, plan to get gas, plan to get gas!)

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Little Hawk
Date: 22 Apr 03 - 11:27 PM

Putting a little soap on a nail has the same agreeable effect in not splitting the wood...

- LH

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: MMario
Date: 23 Apr 03 - 08:22 AM

*ALWAYS* backup your data before making changes!

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: JennyO
Date: 23 Apr 03 - 08:50 AM

If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is probably not a good idea.

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Amos
Date: 23 Apr 03 - 11:06 AM

Backup your data even if you aren't planning changes. The Cybergods are very sensitive to unbackedup data -- it offends them, and they enjoy destroying it.

Hit the save key (CTRL-S, or CMD-S) whenever you pause to think about what to say next.

If it doesn't work, check power first, and twice.

Always double-check the obvious when troubleshooting. Because 80% of problems are found in the first 20% of the checklist. I will never forget the gal who had startup problems because she had plugged a power strip into itself. (Well, it was plugged in, wasn't it?)

A

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 23 Apr 03 - 12:30 PM

If you can't find it anywhere, have another look in the first place you looked.

If you can't remember what it was you came down to get, go back up and start over again and you might meet the thought on the way down the stairs.

If you can't find your mobile phone, dial the number on another phone and listen.

If you can't find your keys, look in the door.

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 24 Apr 03 - 09:59 AM

Any sticky stuff that won't dissolve in water will probably dissolve in oil.

An old Army adage:
If it moves, salute it.
If it doesn't move, pick it up.
If you can't pick it up, paint it.

Another Army adage:
When somebody at the top makes a suggestion, somebody at the bottom gets an order.

A security specialist's remark:
One third of people are basically honest. One third of people are basically dishonest. The other third are honest as long as you watch them.

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Allan C.
Date: 24 Apr 03 - 10:20 AM

More than anything else it is the yeast that gives raised donuts their flavor (not counting whatever stuff you dip them in or stuff them with). On the other hand, cake donuts get most of their flavor from the grease in which they are fried. They soak up an amazing amount of grease while in the fryer. If you can ever grab one before it cools and squish it in your hand, you'll see just what I mean. Nonetheless, a plain, cake donut is still my very favorite!

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Mudlark
Date: 24 Apr 03 - 10:47 PM

Toothpaste for bleach...works a treat. Found it out after finding white spots spattered on t shirt, after brushing teeth vigorously. And toothbrushes very handy for cleaning lots of tight spaces, and little things. If one is a klutz, it saves on fingers to push small nails thru a piece of cardboard to hold in place before whanging with a hammer.

Here's a $10 tip from an Arkie sideshow whittler....Always cut away from ya, byes....

Data backup: back up before printing, also...even if it's something you're going to trash as soon as printed.

Organic gardening tip: diatomaceous earth works well against crawlies. It must be kept dry, however, to be effective, so form protective well around plant to water in, spread d. earth everywhere else. It's used in swimming pool filters and can usually be found cheap at large box stores. Toothpicks poked into the ground right next to stemmed small plants foil cutworms.

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Little Hawk
Date: 25 Apr 03 - 12:02 PM

For shaving...don't use shaving foam. It gums up the razor and defeats the purpose. Use a little shampoo lathered up in your hands with hot water....works like a charm, and the razor stays absolutely clean! Shaving foam is a totally useless and overpriced product that should be done away with. Don't use aftershave either. It's equally useless, and it stinks. I never use it, and I've been shaving since the early 70's. No ill effects yet.

- LH

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 25 Apr 03 - 01:16 PM

If you shave, it'll just grow back.

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Allan C.
Date: 25 Apr 03 - 01:18 PM

You can use hand lotion too, LH.

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Amos
Date: 25 Apr 03 - 01:39 PM

LH -- whyncha just bend over and pee on your jaw?

A

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Allan C.
Date: 26 Apr 03 - 08:22 AM

Housekeeping hint:
Actually, I discovered this when working at a 7-Eleven. There were always far more coffee filters than we could ever use for their intended purpose. I found that they work wonderfully as wipers for cleaning windows! They stay in one piece much longer than most paper towels and leave no lint behind.

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Tweed
Date: 26 Apr 03 - 09:32 AM

Construction tips:

Keep a slow and steady pace while doing mind numbing manual labor. I have seen weight lifting college kids put to shame and left gasping in the dust by Central American laborers who knew this trick.

When soldering a water line, open a couple valves or faucets to let the steam out or you'll never seal the joint.

A sledge hammer will bust out concrete easier if you take a shovel and undermine the soil below.

When cleaning up a jagged concrete edge using a chisel (as opposed to a rented Stihl saw) strike a chalk line along the edge and and score the length but smack the chisel only once before moving it. If you do it right, by the end of the run, a hairline crack will appear and the whole edge will drop free and clean.

Dirt is cheaper than concrete. Fill in the low spots before pouring.

If you use a cutting torch, clean the tip frequently. A sharp knife cuts cleaner.

Well begun in halfway done. ;~)

Yerz,
Tweed

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: MMario
Date: 26 Apr 03 - 10:38 AM

Here's a real scoop!

Posting tunes in the forum is easier then most people think. Several of the people who do it frequently cannot read music.

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 26 Apr 03 - 11:10 AM

Great thread Allan.

Boy, I wish I could do this in those huge (even blinking) letters that the computer whizzes do.

SEEK OUT ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE FROM DISCUSSION GROUPS!!!

Whether it's serious medical questions, buying a mini disc recorder, or growing roses, thirty or so folks with direct experience will give you THE BEST advice.

I've been dealing with medical issues this year, and I can't tell you how useful it's been to listen and talk to others in the same boat. Am I saying that they know MORE than the doctors? In a lot of cases....YES. Try it.

Rick

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 26 Apr 03 - 05:46 PM

"Dust doesn't get any worse after four years, it's just a matter of holding one's nerve." (Quentin Crisp)

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Mudlark
Date: 26 Apr 03 - 07:13 PM

McG of H...my contention exactly, the corollary being never move anything, that way the clean places wont show, and never invite company in the late afternoon when the sun is streaming in...

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 27 Apr 03 - 12:00 PM

Hey Allan, this is a good and useful thread, but far too many people are missing it 'cuz of the title. I've screwed up threads by trying to get a joke in....and have had the same result.

Any chance of asking a clone to re-title it "useful advice" or something like that ?

It should have a couple of hundred responses.

Cheers

Rick

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Little Hawk
Date: 27 Apr 03 - 12:50 PM

Is that how you shave, Amos?

It could really sting if you've got a shaving cut.

I shave cos I don't like the look of a beard. It goes with my childhood heroes being people like Crazy Horse and Roman Nose. Those guys didn't have beards. (And I've always wondered why...given the fact that a lot of modern Native Americans do have facial hair...)

Now, Jeb Stuart had a beard that could've scared off a tiger, and it looked great...but that's Jeb, and it was a different time.

I should buy a fake beard and mustache, just for fun, and go incognito for a day or so...

- LH

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 27 Apr 03 - 02:24 PM

The thing to do is grow a bear and get a false beard to match, and then shave. People can suspect a clean shaven man of wearin a false beard, but they'll never suspect a man they've seen grow a beard of really being clean shaven...

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: wysiwyg
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 12:14 AM

... and you can get that bear from John about Hull9, but it'll probably be a real one; I don't think he has any fake bear. :~)

Couldn't resist. And you can't sue me, I already am.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Amos
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 09:55 AM

I thought he was unbearable? Musta been a mistake...

A

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Jim Tailor
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 11:35 AM

If you have a business in your home, assume that your homeowners insurance WILL NOT cover damages and liabilities associated with that business.

If you are the sole proprietor of the home business, look long and hard before giving in to the temptation to take depreciation on your home (office) as a tax deduction. If you don't own the house long enough, you will have to recapture (pay back) the depreciation taken -- with penalties.

Colemanite can be replaced one for one with Gerstley Borate.

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Allan C.
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 04:33 PM

Pardon my ignorance, Jim, but what use does one make of Colemanite?

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Amos
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 07:01 PM

And wasn't Gerstley Borate the mayor of Greensville, North Carolina in 1971?

A

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: RangerSteve
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 08:12 PM

Sorcha, thanks for your hints, it saved me lots of typing.

Anyway, if a state or national park ranger has a gun, he's a cop, with the same training as the local municipal cops. I can't count how many people have flagged me down, only to say"Oh, I thought you were the police", or "Can you call the police". After spending valuable time convincing them that I can help them, they tell me that their car has been stolen, or their daughter has been molested, or something equally serious, and by now the perpetrator is miles away.

If you're hiking, take note of the trail you're on. In parks, most of them have names and colored trail markings. It doesn't do any good to call the park office on your cell phone and say you're lost or injured and then describe the place you're at by saying "I don't know where I am, but it's the place with all the trees", or something else just as vague.

If it's getting dark and you didn't bring a flashlight, retrace your steps, don't keep going ahead. There aren't any street lights in the woods. (city people have no concept of this). One of my favorite dumb conversations when looking for lost hikers in February: "It didn't get dark this early last time I was here" "When was that?" "Last July".

If there's a ban on camp fires, that means THERE'S A GOD-DAMN BAN ON GOD-DAMN CAMPFIRES!!! A fire doubles in size every minute, and that bottle of spring water you have won't do a thing. A fire ban means that it's been really dry for a long time. A slight drizzle after a three month drought doesn't mean the drought is over. Remember that happened in Colorado last summer?

If you're from another state, check the fishing and hunting laws. They vary from one state to another. "I don't need a fishing license at home" is not an excuse.

Don't come into a park at midnight and expect to find a campsite. Plan your trip ahead and reserve a site if you can, or start looking for a place before it gets dark. And please, if the campgroung is full, don't say "Well, that's just f**king fine! Where can I camp?",
because I'd love to help you, but I didn't fill up the campground myself, and I won't be cursed at.

Don't rely on AAA guides for accuracy concerning camp grounds. All state parks issue their own brochures, and they know more than anyone about their parks. (AAA states that New Jersey campgrounds are open all year, they actually close in the winter. I've turned away a lot of dissappointed angry campers who trusted another source for their information).

Bring everything you need to camp. Most parks are in rural areas (Duh), and there are no Wal-Marts around for miles. And don't yell at the rangers because of this, we don't build Wal-Marts.

Have a safe and pleasant summer, Ranger Steve.

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: Jim Tailor
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 08:16 PM

Colemanite and Gerstley Borate are both ceramic fluxes.

Well, there are a lot of potters on this forum (and my other tips seemed somehow very dry and in need of levity and, well, I think Gerstley Borate, as a word, is inherently funny...

...like "Guggenheim".

Subject: RE: BS: The Inside Scoop
From: wysiwyg
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 09:52 PM

But, IF you can find a WalMart, you CAN camp THERE and they DO have streetlights! Happy WalMarting, cuz it ain't really CAMPING!

~Susan