trinacriabob

There is indeed a lot of gratification from raising kids. I don't have to have any to know that. I just talk to my friends who do have them. And some of these kids have turned out great.However... It's a vastly different experience when they grow up in a "nuclear family" as opposed to a divorced household. I think that the "nuclear family" may experience more joy around child rearing (though "nuclear households" have produced some really dysfunctional children). My parents do NOT get good marks....I have raised myself, unfortunately. However, when there is a 58% divorce rate out there (+/-), it's an experience I can do without. In that case, there is no way I want to write a check or transfer money for a kid that doesn't sit at my breakfast table on a more or less full-time basis. Since this is a public and relatively anonymous forum, I have no problem voicing this opinion. However, in an office setting, I keep it to myself as it does not make me popular....and I already know I'm NOT very popular here.

Response to thread:gone (and isn't it great...the most successful thread ever on C&G was started by a 13 year old)

Ah, yes...comparatively speaking, La-la-land IS quiet.The numbers don't lie! Part of the reason is: NYC's 5 boroughs: 7.4 million people - approx. 330 sq. mi. Los Angeles, within city limits: 3.8 million people - approx. 460 sq. mi. And, BTW, it can be 72 degrees and mild in the middle of January.

Usually agree with these guys, but not this time. I say make a move, but not to NYC. It could set you back financially as you shell out for the high set up costs. I'd say Philly for you; heck, you could go to NY as much as you wanted on the train...it's a mere 95 miles up the road. Or, another major city, but not NY as a starter.Agree with the latter part. Moving away makes you more "wordly" (ouch, I said that word, slap my wrist) as you will grow up faster and know how to handle yourself around different kinds of people, because your survival will depend on it. NYC is more sensory overload than you need, just look at all the Islanders and Jerseyites who prefer to keep it at a distance. When I wanted to leave the nest, and I had a completed college degree AND a professional certification in hand, I chose to go to Atlanta rather than deal with a "rat race" type Northeastern city. And it was the best decision I ever made. The "ballsier" people may head for NY or Boston....more power to them. However, ATL, Dallas, Houston and PHX seem to be much easier places for those leaving the nest or finishing school to settle into because of the lower density and lower costs. But, it's up to you, and you will make the decision from your gut. That's what I did.

hall ...yeah, I was in Munich for 3 days and ordered Coke, but had fun at tables with fellow Americans who were swiggin' down that nasty stuff....

TMITMI LOL

Well, like I've said before, I never have been a conformist. But then, I never thought I'd be outnumbered 8:1 thus far.

While I don't want to derail and go political, I would like to say that one of the few positive things of the war, hopefully, is that, sooner than later, Iraq and that corner of the world could potentially look and act more like Turkey or Kuwait or some of the UAE where people are, yes, Muslim, but at the same time progressive and function like a more modern society. That would be ideal.

Someone has committed a crime and you seen them backing out of a stall from the front but cannot get a good look at them from the rear of the vehicle, you can get their plate. There are certain times when you can catch a front plate but not the rear plate.As for looks, I think that the cleanliness you refer to takes a back seat to the issue above...and this is from someone who is also invested in and critical of the appearance of automobiles.

I think it's mostly a Southeastern thing...that of not having front license plates on cars (so you can have a Confederate flag license plate instead....just kidding...just kidding). I was in FL and Atlanta for 2 weeks in early September. I am going down I-95 out of the JAX airport a little fast in a RED Grand Prix and see a State Trooper conveniently under the shadow of an overpass with his radar gun aimed. I tapped on the brakes but was following others at the same pace. I wondered if the area allowed for tickets to be conveniently sent in the mail. Then it dawned on me, I have NO FRONT LICENSE PLATE on the car. The following week up in Atlanta, I noticed the same thing. There are no front license plates in Georgia, either. I think all cars should have two plates. It bodes for better security. And I've never understood why some states only require the rear plate.

I just looked at the exchange rates this morning. It's sick. Bad for travel and bad for the balance of trade. The Euro has broken the $ 1.40 mark...meaning you need that much in dollars to buy ONE Euro....theoretically, upon its introduction, is that it was to be 1:1 given that there is so much activity between the US and the EU. I've decided to cut back on trips to Europe anyway after I figured out how much less stressful it is to vacation in the US and Canada. That being said, the US and Canadian dollar are TIED. Unbelievable. When I was living in Seattle from 97-00, the US dollar could buy 1.52 Canadian dollars (granted that was horrible for our Canuck friends). And, at least it was at 1.15 last December when I was taking a "Business Environment" class in my night program. Now, it's equal and I'm getting ready to go over there at the end of the week for fall colors (my last nonsense trip this year). Damn.

....he may have already tried it...

Yeah, on your side of the pond, they taste like gasoline! That's why, when I'm there, it's always "um cha, por favor"! It's safer.

cabbage

sauerkraut

robo(t)

Obviously, that wasn't the intent. I've used your thread to talk about NY, which I could do nonstop, as have other people. To start in on me and be blindsided just wasn't cool...sorry, but that's the way I feel.

The most negative memory of NY is when I would go to Manhattan from Teaneck from my uncle's house, as an adult on my own. I would take the NJ Transit bus (I think it was the 167 or 168) to the Port Authority Bus Terminal and then take escalators down to the subway which would take me downtown (the area of the then-WTC and Battery Park). I remember that, during the commuting rush, you could NOT stop in your tracks as you moved through the Port Authority terminal or you would be mowed down. The most positive memories of NY have to do with the water that surrounds it. As a kid not even 10, crossing the GW to head down to the piers to pick up the ship to cross the Atlantic to Europe or as an adult, spending an afternoon on the Staten Island Ferry just crossing the harbor for the heck of it, with a camera in hand. Also, when I was living in "the ATL," my parents came to see me and we also went up to NY to see my uncle. We took the boat ride around Manhattan...not at all corny, I highly recommend it. As we got up close to the Statue of Liberty, I watched my parents tear up a little bit....they probably really hadn't seen it up close since they came to this country by ship, arriving in NY harbor. It must have been emotional for them.

I started the thread on multi-level marketing but funny that it moved over toward religion. I have heard both Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses referred to as "Amway religion." I guess that packaged mentality is what I find bothersome, being such a non-conformist from when I was a little kid. (Even though I was raised and identify as Catholic, I don't buy into it 100% as some of it is a little out of touch).I have NOT liked virtually all of the practicing Mormons I have met and only know ONE Jehovah's Witness and he was the nicest guy that would have never ever preached to anyone...I had no clue of his religion until I saw he was omitted off the birthday list in the office (they don't celebrate them). I dislike the herd mentality.

I've heard you build up more ejaculate with various foods, all of which are probably not even proven. The list I've heard includes strawberries, cucumbers, spinach, avocado, salad dressing...it's to the point that you tune it out. As for reproducing the human race, I've never been interested. My best friend in SD who got married immediately after college and had his marriage end after 18 years (up in Whittier, part of LA) said he is soooo thankful he didn't have kids. He is living in SD and doing as he pleases. Like he says "kids are a big money drain and a big time drain." I have ALWAYS felt the same way.

Tim Horton's is AWESOME...and not just the coffee, but the donuts and sometimes even the sandwiches. But then you know, I am probably the most pro-Canada U.S. person on this site, having gone to YVR at least 50 times from Seattle and to YUL 7 times.If it's here, it's probably wedged up close to the border. Somehow, a Tim Horton's under perennially sunny skies just doesn't seem right. I love it on an overcast Canadian day. As for your coffee drink, PB, that sounded gross. I despise iced coffee and wind up throwing my regular coffee away as soon as it gets cool. Mostly, I am a tea drinker. I drink tea:coffee 10:1.

immaculate damn, yours went up as I was typing Revised response to thread: spotless

Ok, I'll go down the Ebonics route: Black guy to flight attendant: "Slide me a Porter" (translation in subtitles: I'll have a steak).

My response to thread: aureola KC, what curriculum will you be doing in grad school?....having done that drill 3x ...I sympathize but also applaud you... ZL, I read somewhere that Salazar instructed them to give the Lisbon span as close as to the proportions of the GG that they could. I think it's only a little bit shorter, by a hair. However, the cross-bracing on the towers is nothing like the art-deco type "layering" of the GG's towers so, in that respect, it differs. Gosto muito do Ponte 25 de Abril e eu foi no ponte com o minho automovil alugado para visitar Cristo Rei, Caparica e Seisimbra no verao de 2005!

I kind of like the '67. Actually, it's got the most comfortable cabin layout for those of us in economy: 2-3-2, so it's easy to move in and out of seats and twin aisle allows one to walk around. I know the 777 is an advanced plane but I'm not crazy about it. Twin aisle, yes. However, it's seating is configured as 2-5(bleh)-2 or 3-3-3 in the economy cabin. There is a 400 version of the '67 that is rarely seen (only run by DL and CO) that has the TV monitors for every seat. Know nothing about the Airbus product you refer to. Can't wait to see the new 787 and am only merely interested in the A-380 as it's not Boeing...rather keep the money domestically and support the 747-8 series.