LadyCrimson

I haven't seen anything that actually confirms the male enhancement rumor. Only that "sources" claim that's what the prescription Rameriz was getting was for. I don't consider unclaimed "sources" to be a reliable source of facts. Others say that he's not contesting the 50 game suspension equals he's afraid of an in-depth background probe etc. Take your pick on rumors. But it a good reminder that at this point it's too early to say how guilty Rameriz may be. No one can tell for sure who is/isn't just because of they way they look or perform. Drug tests become better/more subtle refined and ways to avoid/pass them become better. Yes there's a lot of stuff that can cause positive tests on someone who's likely not a regular/serious user of the "bad ones" but I think juicing is a lot more prevalent than people want to believe, and has been for years.

What I've read some people worrying about in terms of 'credibility' is what such players do to stats/records. ie, you can no longer trust them. You could expunge personal records like "most bases stolen" but you can't expunge "World Series Win" ... ie, people begin to doubt a team would've won. I'm not sure how valid that might be ... I tend to think most of the time, not so much, but maybe once in a while.

It only "ruins" it because it's not part of the rules ... ie, not everyone uses it, therefore the 'contest' isn't an equal playing field. Maybe they could have steroid-leagues for those who want to compete w/others who like to chemically enhance all they can be.

Yeah, I've met a few as well, and agree. Or at least, they are always different than what you first envisioned (edit: not always a bad thing, either). I like to think that in general my net personality is pretty much the same as my RL one - but text doesn't reveal things like ... hyperactive leg bouncing, my childish bored-habits like tossing wadded up pieces of paper at my spouse, my combo of very laid back yet fairly reserved demeanor, or the fact 23 hours a day, I'm extremely non-entertaining.

Seriously? LOL Maybe that's why he was always causing a ruckus. Now maybe all the BoSox fans who still holler that we shouldn't have let Manny go will shut up about we "need" him. I'm still laughing.* *I don't personally think performance drugs in pro-sports are cool/should be used, unless perhaps everyone used them(and the same ones), if y'know what I mean - but I still find this hilarious.

An Obsidian Forum BBQ would be one of two internet-meeting type things I would actually make an effort to go to. I don't know what the results of such would be, but at the least I bet it'd be memorable. And ... uh ... seemed like I was going to type something else about "my day" or something, but now I've forgotten what it was. Um ... I had a really good pastrami sandwich, tho.

If you don't/never watch AI, this probably won't seem funny, but I just about busted a gut laughing. One of the "Top4" tried to sing "Dream On" (never a good one to do on AI) last night and that last famous note was awful. So someone made an "extended version" of his performance, looping the note several times. I love the internet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGw8gjCwzEE

Never found him funny, but as always, still sad to lose pop culture icons. It won't be long before I won't recognize anyone in a movie or on the music stage anymore.

Exactly. If you're never going to be more than a day or two's hike from your car, in a fairly popular recreation park, and if it psychologically makes one feel better to have a cellphone at all times, that's cool. It's probably even helpful in those cases. But in deep remote areas ... well, if you're that concerned you should fork over the cash for a good PLB, or, um...not go tromping around such areas in the first place. :D

Quantum of Solace. Disappointing. Some nice action scenes to be sure, but the story kinda sucked. For one thing, unless you'd seen the first film last week (I saw it maybe 5-6 months ago, I think), this movie dumps you into a plot that feels like it's already half-over, leaving me confused and annoyed. Even tho I understood what was going on in a general way, it didn't feel like a plot at all. More like an epilogue.

After being essentially told that a choice to not take a cellphone camping/backpacking in extremely remote areas is "foolish/unrealistic", I've been musing on how reliance on high-tech has made most people incapable of taking care of themselves without it. ie, how many people know what plants are edible, or would have a decent chance at building a fire without a lighter/match. Most people (in the US) don't even bother to learn CPR or basic first aid beyond putting on a band-aid. I fear the humorous vision of far-future humanity in WALL-E might not be too far wrong. :D

Epic Oakland vs. Seattle game on now. 15th inning, 7-7. They both scored 3 runs in the 13th to keep it tied. Much more entertaining than Boston's earlier loss.... After this is over, going to watch that 2nd "new Bond" movie on PPV.

Our neighbors with the 50 cats have now built a large birdcage next to our shared fence that's taller than the fence. Little tiny chickadee-like birds who go "tweet tweet" all day long. Maybe they sell them. Arrrgh. They can't move out fast enough for me. On the plus side, it's funny to watch their cats sit on top of the cage trying to poke paws at the birds.

Nap didn't help. I'm still sooper-duper tired. My eyebags have their own suitcases. Zzzzz. Should I watch the Redsox game on the smaller PC or on the big TV? PC has daybed/easier net access, big TV has couch. Connected the game pc to the TV last night to checkit - mlb.tv looks pretty decent at 50", I'm surprised. Quite a bit better than some of the non-HD signal channels, very watchable.

95F to ... rain and clouds. Cool. Got up early, fed cat, picked up hubby/dropped off hubby, did some stuff for my mum which entailed me driving back and forth from her place to mine a few times. Lack of sleep lately, hard to keep eyes open, except during times of cussing out people who are apparently unable to merge even at the snail speed of 10mph. Got home. Fed cat. Turned on some tunes. Nappy time. I get cranky w/out my nappies now.

@Wrath of Dagon - I'd concur that is a distinct possibility. Left-field: See this? http://bouncewith.me.uk/europe/8027043.htm

Had two friends snap vertebrae in their middle/upper backs from dirt biking but lucky to not have it damage their spinal cords. They're both up and generally fine now....and both got back on their dirt bikes for a few more years. Crazy stuff, the human body.

I wish we had a hooters here. I have a feeling I'd be very amused.

until i read the rest of the explanation, i thought it made perfect sense. ahem. taks Where's the *hehe you cad* smiley? It was usually about chemistry. I really don't remember many actual "convos" before first dates...opening lines, yes, but convos...no.

@GuardDog - Hugs. The randomness of fate is definitely the pits sometimes. Just remember to try and focus on the positives - you can walk and you're still alive, and you've got places like this to vent during the bad days. I hope you're feeling a little better today. Today: Learning that being the only child currently living very close (and doesn't work...) to a now-alone parent means getting a lot of visits. I enjoy them, and I'm trying very hard to be supportive and good company, because I worry about her being alone etc. but I'm also not used to it (the frequent visits) and I'm very tired.

This thread is full of win. But particularly: I don't have any advice on convos, tho. Guys usually managed to attract my initial "absolute stranger" attention by doing things with me, rather than talking to me, if that makes any sense. If I was on the beach w/friends, they'd ask if we wanted to play Frisbee/volleyball with his friends and if there were lots of laughs during that, they'd ask me out for lunch when it was over. That sort of thing.

Saw a couple articles saying that in Mexico, most of those 1300+ were "probable" cases, not actually confirmed yet, and that the now confirmed cases of death, once thought to be 20, was in fact only 7. I could not figure out if this supposed death toll was for only 1 city in Mexico or some kind of grand total number. As usual, pick what you want to believe. But my thought is...can we at least wait until cases are confirmed via tests before making headlines of 'boy has sniffles and probable cases rises in (insert city name) to (insert number)? Probable does not equal confirmed/hard news. One of hubby's co-workers has asthma+allergies and apparently lately all she has to do is cough/sneeze/wheeze in public places and she gets scared/dirty looks. It's hilarious. The cry wolf is a valid point, but I agree people have short attention spans, as long as more than a few years passes between. But there's also the backlash aspect where people might get tired of all the "hoola" and scare-media and stop paying attention - then if it really is "bad" they won't know about it in time etc. In fact, that would be me, starting now. I'll check back on this in a couple weeks, maybe we'll have better info by then. Like Gorgon, I'm a bit more concerned about the possible economic impact, for the moment.

Yeah, there's a SJ school that's apparently closed for a while w/1 confirmed case and some unconfirmed sniffle cases. Because it's rational to at least tell folks what's going on (so cities etc. can take some precautions)...and then people become afraid of being the next one on the list, so to speak and get paranoid. Isn't that always the reason?

About the only things I want to save are pictures (photos, comics, news pics), so I do a lot of r-clicking/save image. Tons of folders for those and most of the time I never browse through them later. So I do know the feeling, kinda. I run across a lot of articles/columns, usually the ones that tickle my funny bone, that I think about saving but ... I know I'll never read them again and forget about 'em in a few hours. But if it's short enough I'll just take a screenie or two of it, instead of saving the whole page/site scripts and all. Heh.

Many articles say it does against at least some viruses. How true this is, I haven't researched enough to know. (edit: ie, there's also random articles that claim they wouldn't, so pick who you want to believe) The reason cited is because they're alcohol based... and the ones you supposedly want are 60% or more alcohol, so read the labels. This also means they can dry out your skin. And they aren't for when your hands are actually grimy/dirt covered. Just for the when you sneeze into your hand/touch someone's keyboard kind of use.