RANT- i need to vent

[estación seca]

Maybe Claypot is Doug Parker.

[WaterWitchin]

[DirtyCoconuts]

i found this pic funny because you rarely see a terminal at JFK empty.... like horror move funny


Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr

[WaterWitchin]

Pretty sure I see Stephen in the background doing a cameo…

[yug]

Originally Posted by claypot

...
I am done with this one sided forum so shall not sign in again. Moderators can block me if they wish.
...

Amazing that this 'person' calls it a one-sided forum, and yet is complaining about a post in the off-topic area, which clearly shows it IS NOT a one sided forum, but the 'person' apparently wants it to be all about orchids - IOW - a one-sided forum.
(you just can't make this stuff up)

[Ray]

Fear not. He’ll be back.

Having a father whose career went from Army Air Corps to USAF to FAA, I’ve been flying since I was 6 weeks old, and at one 3.5-year period of my own career, I averaged 13 flights a week around the US and Canada, before having my responsibility expand to include Central- and South America, Japan and China, so I can tell a few “war stories”, as well, but DC’s sounds pretty frustrating, especially with a baby in tow.

I was in a plane crash in Parkersburg WV (minor - the worst part was having to spend another night there and needing clean shorts…), having been delayed and/or rerouted any number of times, but the most frustrating was a trip in China.

I was giving a presentation to a scientific meeting in Shanghai, so took the opportunity to fly to Qingdao to meet a potential customer. Got there, had the meeting, returned to the airport for the trip back. Nope. As there were only 4 booked for the flight, the airline wouldn’t take the plane back. So there I was with two coworkers (one a translator, thank goodness), wearing the suit, tie and overcoat I came with and carrying a briefcase, and no place to go.

Fortunately, there was one hotel, so we checked in, having learned that the other transportation options included a “bunk train” (box car with plywood planks spaced 2’ apart to sleep on, and no other accommodations for food or “food later”), or a ferry boat where you stayed on deck - and both were 3-day trips.

The hotel restaurant was fantastic, but the beds were burlap mattresses stuffed with straw, and so narrow and “domed” that you’d fall out of bed if you rolled over wrong.

After three days of doing nothing other than sitting on the rocks watching local fisherman pull in stuff I might not consider good enough for bait, we finally got to fly back.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Hahahaha you win sir

I will keep that story in mind and never be upset about a delay again!!! Haha wow

[Ray]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

Hahahaha you win sir

You call that a win???

More trips = more opportunity for issues.

The worst part of that China "adventure" was being incommunicado. That was in the early 80's, before folks had cell phones (if a US cell phone would even work in CN), and land lines were few and far between there. My boss was still in Shanghai, wondering if I'd been kidnapped, and my wife had no idea why I'd disappeared, either.

Being a fisherman myself, I found their technique to be interesting:

Big block of styrofoam - 2 to 3 feet square x 4"-6" thick. On it was a square sail on a stick mast and a large rock, with the trot line attached to the rock, sail, and foam. They'd raise the sail and let the wind blow it offshore.

As the line paid out, they'd bait a hook and drop it in. That was repeated about every 6 feet until the "boat" was a good 3/4-1 mile out, then they'd give a big "yank" on the line.

That would pull the rock off the foam block to act as an anchor, collapsing the sail as it fell. After about 15-30 minutes, they'd start retrieving the line, keeping any fish that got hooked.

[DirtyCoconuts]

that is pretty genius!

i have to say i have learned more from my Asian friends ( Chinese, Vietnamese and Japanese) about all aspects of fish, from catching to processing to eating, than anyone else and they always know how to cook any fish...i have never had my buddy turn down anything, he always knows JUST how to cook chub, grunt, runner, jack etc lol- and it is always good