jgraves

Definitely get some sort of dense insulating foam or air mattress to separate you from the floor of the car. If you don't, your sweat and breath vapor will condense on the metal floor, be absorbed by the carpet and your sleeping bag, making your first night there uncomfortable and any subsequent nights absolutely miserable.

Yeah, that's what happens when the gov't owns a truckload of stock in the Tobacco industry. The Japan Surgeon General's warning for years read something like: Some studies have shown that smoking too much can possibly maybe be somewhat harmful to the health of a small minority of smokers. Maybe. So let's be careful not smoke too much! btw. Is SWPA South Western Pennsylvania?

Real Exciting AND Dramatic (RED), rach! Classic

How are you at making yellow snow?

If you are working lifts, teach the other lifties how to hold em so they don't slam into the backs of skiers'/boarders' knees. Hope you enjoy Japan. And Hakuba. And bring lots of warm stuff to wear INSIDE your house.

Quote: Originally posted by sock_monkey: that's cause we use irons. hydroelectric/nuclear/coal burning grease. Glad you said it and not me.

Not really, but the bridge between my eyes is pretty high, or so I'm told.

I've been to a few comedy clubs in my days, and racial humor (usually in bad taste) is par for the course in many acts. That's the world of stand up. The difference is he directed it at specific people who could then take it personally (understandably) and not surprisingly it escalated. He's lucky it didn't get physical. But a pretty low moment. It sucks that he going to judged for that moment for the rest of his life.

Don't think anybody mentioned cork to optimize your wax job. Elbowgrease.

Don't know about Oakleys, but I have tried to find a decent pair of skiing shades and goggles here in the past and the overwhelming majority of them sit so high on my nose that they don't cover the lower half of my field of vision (sunglasses) or the foam hits my lower eye lids (goggles).

Badass indeed. But I'm with ft. Not at all interested in base jumping. It didn't do squat for me either.

Is this one of those things where, if you have anything negative to say, it gets edited because the gear was free?

Its not like Japan has a monopoly on alcoholic look-alike drinks for kids. I drank Martinelli's sparkling cider on special occasions like Christmas and Easter as a kid in the states. Wait, I'm starting to get the shakes. . . . Ahhhhhhhh much better. What was I saying?

Think you have me mistaken for the pink anarchist hello kitty guy. I had a real bike back then, but that trip kinda convinced me that I wouldn't be going on any real rides ever again so I haven't owned one since. Besides, I like having a basket for my baubles.

My mamachari wouldn't keep up with you. But I do often bike and run that path on weekends. If I ever see a big blue square ice-rink centerpeice biking by, I'll give you a shout.

Great links. Thanks.

I know the feeling. I rode from Aizu Wakamatsu to Sado ga shima once. When we got there, the tendons in my knee flared up so badly I couldn't walk (not to mention riding back to Aizu). My friends and I had to rent a truck to haul me and my bike back home. In my case, taping and braces don't help. Only lots of ice and ibuprofin before and after do any good. I just re-read your first post. 70k? You don't happen to bike on that path along Arakawa River, do you?

Also from memory, I think D4 is an optical fiber connection (rather than coax) running between your TV and DVD player (which obviously also has to have D4). For better clarity.

Actually, I tried one on display at Hands the other day. 30 seconds on that little creature and my back pain was gone.

Never heard of it. But clearly see how it could help with a hangover.

Its just sparkling apple juice. Same color. Bubbles.

I tried skiing with those five-toed ski socks last season. I should preface this with the fact that I wear fitted ski boots, but having material between each toe made them spread too wide and they were squished up against the sides of my boots. Never again. Anything in smartwool that doesn't bunch up around the ankle is what I look for, though smartwool doesn't seem to last as long as other synthetics.

Oh yeah, I far prefer style-less low maintenance granola posers any day. . . I am obviously missing something here. Exactly why am I supposed to have a problem with ladies looking their best on the slopes? A beautiful woman on skiis is just about the sexiest thing on this rock to me. And she's a perfect ten if said beauty on skiis can keep up with me. That's how I knew I had found "the one."

Here here! I second that motion SC! And thanks for the info about the Tokyo gov'ts-- wasn't aware of that. I'll look into it and post what I find (and send the info along to my elected rep's back in the states). Quote: Originally posted by r45: Lots of people say they are concerned and claim to be interested but do next to nothing (or indeed nothing) about it. That was part of my point. Articles and misanthropic environmentalist rhetoric makes people concerned but offer little meaningful solutions beyond "stop consuming" (usually with some slur against the US thrown

I've seen tree wells on a number of outings in the NE of honshu. For whatever reason, they tend to be pretty obvious here (circumferences significantly larger than the leaf canopy) and not the hidden type found elsewhere.