Sad tonight, anyone out there?

“Chili....hey man life can be a bear...thats why they call it LIFE, all the other 4 letter words were taken.”

“Thank God for my friends, otherwise I know I wouldn't make it.”

“Oh come on....you know you matter....dude....send me a message or call if you need to talk.”

“I'm here for you chili”

“Thanks, I know that. That is one of the ways I keep moving forward. I just struggle sometimes.”

“its OK to struggle some but its ok also to admit the struggle is getting to you - I know there are times that the pain catches up to me and there is nothing I can to but to accept that I hurt and only time will dull the memories”

“That, bro, is an affirmative.”

“I was up in SNP today checking out where to camp for Christmas - dang but that park got whacked in the ice storm at Thanksgiving - looking on the good side there is _NO_ shortage of firewood - its almost all green but at least its laying on the ground where one can get to it. While I was there I helped one of the PATC trail crews clear some trail - the club has done a good job getting the AT cleared but the side trails need a lot of work.
last edited: 12/16/06 5:43:46 PM”

“

"That is one of the ways I keep moving forward. I just struggle sometimes."
chili

You better keep moving forward. Block me on a trail and either my boot or my new staff will have to give you the incentive to move forward. Even though I'm slow, once moving I don't appreciate having to change my motion for anyone!

And I don't need your problems. I've had them. They do get less painful in time. Now be quiet! I'm listening to "What's new in Lake Wobegon."
last edited: 12/16/06 6:23:30 PM”

“What Ice storm? Drink, Chili. Drink.”

“chili - don't listen to bearmagnet - drinking when down is very foofing dangerous

take my word for it bearmagnet - it was a bad ice storm but it only affected the higher elevations - ie up on the ridges”

“hell yeah it's foolish. But that never stopped me. So, up for a trip to Old Rag?”

“So, where is Chili? I hope he didn't block some construction workers on their way into Hooters!”

“not until they get the trails cleared and even then Old Rag isn't a real favorite of mine - unfortunately what I like just got much tougher - I like exploring off trail following old roads and trails finding old cemeteries etc. this foofing ice storm really foofed up bushwhacking.”

“chili is at home”

“How do you find old roads & trails? i'd like to explore bushwacking as an option and I figure SNP would be a relatively safe place to practice/hone skills, no?”

“well step one is to take a look at the quad maps - often they will show old roads in the park. step two is to hike in the winter where it is easier to see traces. step three is to just get out there and do it - its not too bad but expect to lose the trace - have a GTH plan to get back out of where ever you are. with experience you will start seeing traces just looking around”

“So my ATC topos are no good? Where do i get quad maps?”

“Hey Chili,

Are you working? Sometimes when I have had a long stretch of being busy at work, when it slows down I get this weird post stress depression. I do better now that I recognize it and know that it will pass. Falling asleep watching a football game helps me relax and get through it.”

“topos from PATC have features left out in order to be able to sell them in the park - SNP management does not want people being attracted to these old roads so they make information about these features hard to find/get

easiest place to get the quads is topozone.com or one of the packages like TOPO! from National Geographic - however if you like paper some of the outfitters carry the real thing and they can be ordered from places like the Dept. of Mineral Resources in Virginia

Pathman - that sounds like a good posibility here since we know chili has been working some foofing long days
last edited: 12/16/06 7:05:02 PM”

“Thanks HOI. Back to chili - I'm drinking for you.”

“what are you drinking bearmagnet? I'm thinking of cracking open a cold one (Coke)”

“Makers Mark.”

“I've heard that is good stuff - I think bitpusher was the first TTer I met that was drinking Makers Mark

Myself I started with Scotch and progressed to Irish - Jamesons was my preferred whiskey”

“Scotch is nice. Jameson is nice. Knob Creek is also nice.”

“Why are yhou people talking about SNP, which is the Saint Paul Island Airport (Alaska) and some other things. I believe you're talking about GSMNP!”

“no its not GSMNP

SNP is not an airport - I suppose I could have referred to by its NPS generated 4 letter code of SHEN because it is Shenandoah National Park

btw is NPS an airport code?”

“well time for me to bail - chili I don't know what to say but remember we are here for you.”

“I'm drinking tonight too- I #&%!$ing hate social politics of clubs- it's all to make themselves look good, even if they have to drag several good people through the mud and leave them there to do so. I got caught in the middle of it, and on the wrong side of things too.”

““Scotch is nice. Jameson is nice. Knob Creek is also nice.”
bearmagnet
8:44:27 PM
12/16/06

Stick a KNOB in it!”

“wine here. May not fall asleep to the Cowboys Falcons game, pretty good one so far. Gumbel sucks at play by play though.”

““Thanks HOI. Back to chili - I'm drinking for you.”
bearmagnet
8:16:22 PM
12/16/06

Bless you my son.”

“Bearmagnet, in all my years I have not hiked Old Rag.”

“Can someone tell me WTF TB is talking about? MarkO - you need to get up Old Rag. Maybe Aprilish?”

“I'm Having one too. This will be the first Christmas I am Seperated from my wife.

Wassup MarkO?”

“"Old Rag" I always think up sooooooo many jokes for that name.

Hey, HOI, I like looking for old trails, roads, RR beds, etc., too. Fun!

Treebait -- was it a bad Christmas party???”

“TB

You mean like Dance Clubs or Motorcycle Gangs?”

“Like vain selfish pricks who want things done their way to make them look good, even though it just severaly divided the club kind of thing. It's the koifish club of all things. We're hosting the national meeting in 2008, and certain people didn't like the way things were getting done. The wife of our new "president" conducted a so called phone survey that was actually a smear campaign to determine who was voting for whom. I got lumped in with the people "they" didn't like, and judging by the way I was treated tonight everyone now knows how I stand. Several people wouldn't talk to me or look me in the eye. Oh well. Thank god I'm moving, but I feel like I'm losing a few real friends in all this #&%!$.”

“chili, I just put up my Christmas tree and saw again what a beautiful ornament you sent me last year...it brought a smile to my face and I wish I could do the same for you...things never stay the same...tonight will pass for you....don't let the sun catch you crying....”

“Catch Miracle on 34th St or Its a Wonderful Life. That'll certainly help. I just watched the colorized version of Miracle.”

“I'm not so lonely. I have Belle and Giz... who needs friends?





Okay. Maybe one




or two.





I called to check in on my dad and stepmom today, about 11:00 am.
"You comin' to Tommy's?" Asks Mary.
"Errrrr... today the sixteenth?" I asked as if I hadn't just realized.

Wouldn't you know. Today was Thanksmas - my family's annual mass holiday celebration. It was fun... always is. Brothers and sisters, neices and nephews, great neices and nephews - great-great soon to come, no doubt. All were gone their seperate ways in 360 degrees by nightfall. They will now focus on their seperate sub-families for the remainder of the holidays. I'll focus on my hairy ones.

I came to a nephews to watch the Falcons/Cowboys night game on his wall. Yeah, he has a projection TV with an 8x12 screen (blank LR wall). And internet.

Atop all the fixins of the afternoon, we added beers and hotwings and beers as our Birds fell from the heights of the Georgia Dome.

Then tomorrow, Sissy and Rat Boy and I will depart for...
well, I'm not sure where we'll go. Some things are for sure, though: the Mighty Mighty Tacoma will be as welcoming as ever, some 'ol pine will cast a friendly shadow, and the Slumberjack will wisk me briskly away to visions of sugarplums aplenty.

Merry Christmas, TT cousins”

“Thanks, gojo.”

“Recently I had a chat with a friend on the Messenger. I told him how sad, down and lonely I felt after breaking up. So we talked about life in general.

friend: maybe you should change your life and bring back some excitment?

me: I still like this job. And I love this place and town. I think it's one of the best places in the world. I have such a good life, that it is sometimes a burden, because it stops me from taking chances.

friend: you are the strangest depressed person I have ever met.

me: funny though, I think this country has a rather high suicide rate. Maybe they are all so depressed about their wealthy, secure lifes?

friend: well, it's difficult being depressed when you have to avoid bullets or walk dozens of kilometers to fetch water from a well.

me: yes. Or maybe the depressed get all shot befor committing suicide, as they are just too depressed to duck or go fetch water?

friend: that's a very good point!
The reason why wealthy countries have more depressed people is that they are so wealthy that 'natural selection' of depressed doesn't work anymore! genial!

me: lol. I have to go...have a nice weekend.

friend: lol. have a nice weekeknd too.”

“Suicide of rich folk?! Eureka! That must be what keeps me hanging on - poverty...lol!

Nah. I don't have nary such a tendency. At least methinks not. I mean, like, I'm as adoment as ever about wearing my seatbelt. Plus, what would become of Sarabelle and Gizmeaux? They'd be devastated...”

“Euro, what town would that be?”

“adoment = adament(?)”

“adamant”

“I adamit it, I'm illiterate.”

“Boy or girl?”