analog_kidd

I'm PADI certified, but have not dove for over 15 years. I had all my own gear when lived in Florida, but I sold it all when I moved to TN. I don;t think I would feel comfortable diving again without getting re-certified, or at least taking some kind of refresher.     I did all my diving in that area too. I grew up in Boynton Beach.

  I don't really know how they are with open carry, as I have no experience with them in that regard. I do know that every one I have met has been extremely professional, and they all appear to know the law very well. Plus, in the back country they travel alone, so if you were to meet one, and you are polite, courteous, and friendly, they will likely not have a problem with you. Of course it goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) never use the opportunity of being in the middle of nowhere in the GSMNP to do a little target practicing. It will not end well for you. THAT the rangers would not  be OK with.

A guy I know went to have his kids names inked onto his arm. Only thing is, the artist misspelled the name. The guy caught it right after the wrong letter was inked on around the middle of the name. No problem, let's do it again on the other arm. He probably should have made sure the artist knew the correct spelling, because he did the exact same thing on the other arm.   Moral of this story is make sure the artist knows how to spell the name you are having tattooed on your body. 

One thing to keep in mind about the GSMNP campgrounds is that there are no showers in the bathrooms. May not be a big deal to your family, but some wives are turned off by that. Any of them are quite nice though. I just did a day visit of Cosby and it is very nice there. Elkmont and Cades cove are some of the more popular, and crowded ones.Alcohol is permitted in the campgrounds, but trust me when I say they will catch you drunk driving. My folks used to camp host and they are very familiar with some of the rangers. DUI busts are one of their top priorities. Carrying with a valid HCP is also permitted in any of the campgrounds or back country trails / sites. New rule this year: ALL backcountry camping requires not only a permit, but also a reservation. The reservation number is on their website.

I'm a whitewater kayaker, and there used to be a company called Lotus that made paddling gear, the most popular piece being a life jacket, Their logo was a lotus flower,and they placed it on the life jackets at a position roughly between the top of the shoulder blades . Now, the lotus flower symbol was not particularly manly looking, but in the kayaking community it was immediately recognizable, and several men thought it would be a good idea to ink it onto their backs in the same location as the life jacket. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Fast forward several years and now the company is out of business and nearly forgotten about and we have all these guys with these girly flowers on their backs. Makes me laugh every time I see one.

Do I think the kid went out looking to prove a point? I sure do, but the officer took the bait hook line and sinker. A civil rights violation by person of authority is never acceptable. Someone has to keep the officers honest, just like the officers are trying to keep citizens honest. The kid was being a pest, but he did nothing illegal, however the officer did.   What really bothers be though, is the clear violation of someone's rights with the manipulation of the dog. I'm tired of hearing stories where the cops are able to detain you until a dog sniff is done, you have to wait 45 minutes for the dog to arrive in certain circumstances and then they give a false positive. Someone posted here earlier about a SCOTUS ruling where a search by a "RELIABLE" dog is acceptable at a traffic stop. There ought to be a rule that a dog that makes a certain percentage of false positives is put out to pasture. That would keep the handlers honest.

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  I second Abingdon as a cool place to visit.   The Virginia Creeper Bicycle trail is one of the most fun things I have ever done in my life. Go to Abingdon and head East to Damascus. For $26 a person they will rent you a bike and give you shuttle to the top of the mountain. You pedal the 100 yards or so to get out of the parking lot, then basically coast downhill for the next 17 miles. The trail is a very moderate grade, and is very well maintained with no pot holes, bumps or obstacles. It is very scenic, following a creek nearly the whole way. It's an old railroad bed, and it still has dozens of trestles that you ride over. Trust me you will love it.   Make a weekend of it, by riding the trail and then staying at the Martha Washington Inn in Abingdon. Very cool hotel, with lots of history and charm, but a little pricey (you only live once). Walk around town on the brick and cobblestone streets, take in a show at the Barter theater and go eat at one of the local pubs. It will be a weekend you remember for ever.

If you want something really out of the ordinary, go visit the Minister's Treehouse, in Crossville. This thing is amazing. He just keeps adding on and adding on. It's free, but they have a donation box if you feel inclined. I had heard that it was temporarily closed, but I found plenty of recent web pages talking about it as if it is open. Here is a random page of info and pictures from the web: http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2013/06/11/world_s_largest_treehouse_built_by_divine_inspiration_in_crossville_tennessee.html   Another cool place to visit is Ozone Falls. It's free and just a short walk from the parking lot. http://www.tn.gov/environment/na/natareas/ozone/

To me Big Ed's is just OK. The pizza is all right, but the atmosphere is better. It's a restaurant with a lot of history and roots in Oak Ridge, that's what makes it special. If you stick to places in Oak Ridge only, you should go just to say you did.   Right around the corner from Big Ed's is the Market House Restaurant, The Soup Kitchen, and Dean's (in my order of favorite's). Market house makes everything fresh from local farmers. Plus they have a nice selection of beers.   Razzleberries is right down the street from Big Ed's and has a great selection of home made ice cream. Great place, and really nice owners / staff.   For things to do there's not a lot of options in Oak Ridge, The Science Museum is definitely worth the trip. Not sure if they are open in the evening though.Over on Melton Lake Drive the Marina makes a nice place to walk/run. Not sure if a bunch of guys on a business trip want to do that, but thought I'd mention it.   If you bring a Mountain Bike, Haw Ridge park is a stellar place to ride. Probably one of the best in the country. Trails are moderate to very difficult. There are also a bunch of geocaches in Haw Ridge if you just want to walk around.   The Arboretum is really close to Y12 and has some nice walking trails.   Coal Creek Armory and Frontier Firearms have indoor ranges and gun rentals if you want to do that.   As mentioned, there are several red light cameras in Oak Ridge. They are well marked ahead of the intersection, so just be observant, or obey the speed limits, and you'll be OK.

At first I was irritated when I heard about this too, but after I thought about it, maybe not so much. Don't get me wrong, I hate all the Muslim PC nonsense too - in the USA. I have to give them credit for sticking up for their values in their own country. If the US did this, it would be a much better country. We should take their example and say "our country, our rules. Your country, your rules. Don't like it? Go home!"

the www.artofmanliness.com is one of my favorite web sites. I subscribe to their daily emails - always something interesting.

Zippo Lighters? There's a million different designs.

I honestly think a strong background in all things Citrix (Terminal Servers, Application Virtualization, Provisioning Server, Netscalers, etc.) would be a very marketable skillset. Virtualization is too, but I think most employers expect that these days, and VMware experience is very common. I think Microsoft's Hyper-V is going to be the next big thing. It has narrowed the gap between it and VMware, and it you are going to be virtualizing Windows, the license model is practically free for the VM's.   The position I'm offering is primarily Exchange, but it also encompasses VMware, and any of the following you would want to be involved with: IronPorts, SANs, Blade Server technology, Lync and System Center Products, 

I'm looking for a Microsoft Exchange Administrator for a full time position in Oak Ridge. If anyone knows of someone who is highly skilled in designing, and maintaining a highly available Exchange environment for about 5000 users, have them PM me for more information. I'm looking to fill the position immediately.

Our disposal went out years ago, and I happily removed it and replumbed the sink without it. I hated that thing. I never saw the point of it, just throw your stuff in the trash. They are always clogging, and ALWAYS stink.

I always thought I wanted to move to the Alaskan country side. After watching this show, and seeing how hard a life that is, I have changed my mind. I'm originally from Florida, and after more than a decade in TN, I still have not acclimated to the TN winters, there is no way I could stand 10 months of cold.   I always find it interesting that they seem to live hand to mouth, but they do it with a bunch of really expensive machinery. I don't see them making anything that could be sold for anything substantial. They spend all their time gardening, hunting and fishing just to stock their own pantries. So, I'm not sure how they get all that stuff. Still the show is pretty cool. I love to see how resourceful they can be. It always seems like they are racing winter, and usually lose.

I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I am a whitewater kayaker, but I've got this house I'm fixing up to rent by June 1st. Since I can't go boating, of course it's raining like crazy and filling up the rivers.   :mad:

I was surprised to learn that a typical male of 180 pounds hits .08 at 4 drinks in an hour. I would have thought it was less drinks than that. If I were to have 4 drinks in one hour, I know I can't drive.

I thought you could join ORSA without a membership. I may be wrong, but the story I heard is that the names of all prospective members are read at the club meetings to see if anybody objects to them being a member. Sponsored applicants get their name read once. Un-sponsored applicants have to have their names read at two or three separate meetings, which are held monthly. So, you can be unsponsored, but it takes longer.

  Thanks for that, I will certainly have to get t hat album. After discovering Joe Bonnamassa, it's opened up my ears to a whole new genre of music, "Electric Blues". I've always known about Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Kenny Wayne Sheppard, but after creating a station on Pandora based on Joe, I discovered the likes of Buddy Guy, Melvin Taylor, Johnny Winter, Walter Trout, etc.I don't even listen to my old classic rock standards anymore.I can't get enough of this style of music.

My screen name is a reference to a Rush song. I first heard them back in the late 70's and have been a big fan ever since. I've seen them a few times over the years, and every show has been great. Most of the stage shows are pretty simple, some lasers and lights, and some background video, but a whole lot of awesome music. The last show I saw them at, they had some washers and dryers on stage, with clothes in them. Every so often a stage hand would walk across the stage while the guys were playing  and put money into the machine. I love that they have a sense of humor.   Admittedly, Geddy can't really hit those high notes any more, but they still rock. It amazes me that three people can make that much music.If you have never listened to their album 2112, do yourself a favor and listen to it. One of the best albums of all time, in my opinion.

  I definitely agree with this. We do all of our banking with the local hometown bank (TNBank). I own several rental properties, and we have financed all of them, plus our residence through our bank. It makes it very easy, since they already know all of my bank account info. When it comes time to close, they write a bank check against my account and bring it to closing. I never have to do a thing. They are very competitive as far as rates go, and they all know me by name. In fact I called my mortgage person the other day on her cell phone, and she answered "Good morning David", since she recognized my number.

  Don't be silly, of course it was a fully automatic Glock. and they had AK-47's in the trunk.  :dirty:

Not really pertinent to a smartphone, but on my PC I run Virtual Machines. I only install apps I really need and trust on my actual PC, then anything that could be not so trustworthy gets installed to the VM, which stays powered down if I don't need them. I also set the VM's disks to "non-persistent" so any changes that get made during a session are erased. If I want to install something new, or let the O/S update for patches, I power it off, reset the disks to persistent power it back on and do the installs. Then off it goes again and reset back to non-persistent.   VMware Player is free and works great.