JohnF

I used to think that "in person" was the way to handle all these kinds of situations but I've changed my thinking lately. In fact I just got a very satisfactory resolution to a fairly pricey problem with a major chain store through a carefully written email. No names mentioned but generally it went like this. I felt I'd been shafted so I made a phone call to a company number. Spoke with someone without losing my temper and basically just got the bum's rush, politely. I cooled off some and decided I wasn't going to let it just pass, so I wrote a very polite, very detailed email and sent it off. Shortly thereafter I received a series of very concerned phone calls from folks saying they were management types, and in the last phone call I was offered a full refund of over $300 and a very sincere sounding apology along with, of course, a denial of any culpability on their part. I was amazed because, again without going into details, it's quite a precedent for them to set. My point is that I really think the email method gave me a chance to better articulate the problem, at least my version of the problem, and it gave them time to consider all the angles and implications, and I suspect they realized that underlying the politeness was the implicit threat that this might not just go away (the clue being the casual reference to misrepresentation and fraud), and because I'd taken the time to select the language carefully someone realized that it just didn't sound so good for them. Then they had time to consider their own choice of language and the best solution options available to make the problem go away quietly. The Sens are as concerned about marketing and public perception as any retailer so I suspect their business people will be quite receptive to having the right buttons pushed. Who knows what they might offer to make the problem go away, and even to turn it into a public relations coup instead of problem. I doubt they want to have any negative perception about how badly paying customers are treated just because they're Toronto fans. As much as they relish the rivalry, they like a full house even better. They may be even more sensitive to that at the moment with the very real possibility of an early end to the season. JF

We've spent the month of January in Cancun every year since '95 and have yet to experience any of that "violence". The closest thing to a problem that we've encountered was one traffic cop looking for a modest handout from our cab driver (which went off without a hitch), but otherwise everyone is friendly and accommodating. The Cancun Hotel Zone is very clean and safe. I'm not sure the north end of the beach (where the bars are) is so nice and quiet at night. A lot of the resort guests head up there in the evening, the young folks to the bars and the oldtimers to the nicer restaurants, but we never hear reports of trouble from there. The only violent assault you're likely to witness is the attack of the time share salesmen. The folks who fall off balconiess are generally well pickled in tequila and beer. The traffic is crazy so it's never smart to walk too close to the pavement. There's a long stretch of road from our resort going north with a narrow sidewalk right on the edge of the traffic lane with hundreds of buses and cabs racing by. The bus mirrors pass within inches of your head if you're not careful where you walk or stand. A friend of ours who lives down at Puerto Aventura says there's a lot of traffic deaths along the highway involving locals being clipped walking along the edge of the pavement or waiting for buses. To anyone who spends a lot of time there the reports of violence and danger are hugely exaggerated, just the media trying to stir up a little story excitement. I'm not sure the Cancun condition applies everywhere in Mexico though. JF

Check it out. I realize we don't target octopi but they are underwater critters like the fish we chase http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/206 Doesn't that make you wanna think twice about the lures you use/ JF

Something went through a class I was teaching. I came down with whatever it was on Day 3 of a two week session and didn't feel right again for 3 weeks. It's only in the 4th week that I've actually started to feel close to normal but I'm still tired early in the evening. At least the cough has subsided, and the aches. So don't give up hope. You will live to fight another day. JF

Is kissing a fish really all that much different than eating sushi? JF

Cancun is a great holiday destination. I haven't tried the charter fishing but the diving is another excellent way to interact with the fish. The inshore areas are part of a marine park so no fishing is allowed but the shallow reefs hold an abundance of beautiful critters. It's almost as much fun swimming with them as catching them. You're right about the people. They really work at making your stay perfect, and they're really friendly while they do it. I often say Cancun holidays are what Florida only imagines it offers. JF

Hmmm. I notice Bly didn't reply. Does that mean she's on her way leaving you to deal with the birthday duties? JF

Dunno about the 4 meters but there are some old laws about towpaths along navigable waterways (for the horse & oxen to haul barges) and there are also laws about riverbed claims and definition. It's mentioned in at least a few different pieces of legislation and would probably take a lawyer specializing in riparian rights and waterways to break it down for anyone. I doubt that the MNR is ever really sure which Acts apply in cases like this, or if anyone really knows for sure. That's why it's fairly easy to restrict access, no one knows if you're acting within the law or not. We have a situation here in Stratford where the owners of some of the most expensive homes in town have tried to block walking access along the riverbank, with no success. Tourists and locals can stroll through these backyards, apparently at will, the only restriction being that they should try to stick fairly close to the shoreline. There's a very clearly worn path that isn't hard to follow. The city fathers looked at this a few years ago when someone got up in arms about it and the resolution seems to be that the landowners can't stop this foot traffic. Not sure if the same would apply in the Goderich case. JF

Thanks. I'll start reading. Assuming that most, or all, of my buying decisions to date have been lousy (with respect to flyfishing at least) what do you recommend as a nice entry level setup for small bass & trout (hopefully) in the streams and rivers of southwestern Ontario. I've been trying to make sense of the combination of rod weight and length confused with the variety of lines and leaders/tippets etc. Is floating line the way to go to start? Should I be using weight forward? Are prelooped leaders a good way to go? Where do I start with patterns? Do I actually have to get out there and strain the local waters to see what kind of food critters show up or are there some reasonably safe flies I can go to right off to get my feet wet, so to speak? Etc. JF

So as not to appear to be hijacking FishinNAutograph's G2G thread I figgered I'd better start a new one, but it's along the same lines. I just got back into creek fishing after a 50 year hiatus. I was lucky enough to have the benefit of an old friend's experience. He's great at it and it's all about the fish. He has absolutely no interest in fancy expensive gear. His fave reels are two matched Shakespeare ultralite combos picked up at a Florida Walmart for $14.95 or something like that. I've tried them and they feel like crap to me but beauty's in the eye (or fingers) of the beholder I suppose. He's been seriously coveting a twisty flexy no name rod I scored out of a sale bin at Gander Mountain last year for 6 bux. His wading kit includes old running shoes with the toes cut out for drainage, a cheesy vinyl shoulder bag for his three Rapala original lures, his filet knife, the hemostats I gave him (from which he promptly ground the locking tab) and his broken reading glasses for tying knots. His one front tooth has a very slight groove worn from biting off line. If it swims it has potential as food to him. He's taught me a lot about fishing for Smallmouths. But I really got back into fishing because of flyfishing. Maybe I watched A River Runs Through It too many times, but I think my interest predates that movie by quite a few years. I put together a cheap setup years ago and did a lot of reading but discovered that what sounds so smooth and logical in the books doesn't necessarily translate well to the river. I tried it exactly once and am now some sort of authority on windknots, but know little else about flyfishing. What I really need is a mentor like my old friend the Bass Wader to introduce me to the joys of flyfishing. I understand that it takes a special kind of person(ality) to endure the frustration of imparting esoteric skills to a tyro but for some there's reward in seeing actual results, not to mention the lure of a bottle of Oban or somesuch at the end of basic training. Unlike my old friend BassWader I'm a gearpig, delighting in excuses to open the wallet for new toys, so gear is not an issue. I've got three large (and full) tackle boxes along with about a dozen assorted spinning rigs to prove it. My wife cringes every time I take on some new venture, business or pleasure, because it invariably leads to more junk in my basement toyroom. Fortunately I just cleaned out a bunch of cold water dive gear so have lotsa room again. If there's a kindred and kindly spirit out there who has the patience to take a newby flyfisher under their wing for a short time I'd be an avid and enthusiastic student. I'm situated in Stratford so London or KW are the obvious training areas. The Grand sounds particularly appealing for flyfishing. I'm kinda semi-retired so week days off are no problem. Any takers? I'm pretty sure my old friend Bass Wader would also be into the experience but I may have to show him that it actually works first. He is able to change, very slowly and very gradually. It took me a few evenings on the Thames to convince him that there just might be merit in plastic for Bass (he got skunked with his Raps). He's also been covertly eyeing up my latest rod/reel (worth about as much as his car, not that his car's worth much more than $200) whenever he comes down to my toyroom. I let him toss a few lures with it one evening on the river and next thing I knew he'd quietly slunk away to a quiet spot to be alone with my spanking new setup. So he's able to learn still. In the absence of, or in addition to, personal mentoring I'd be happy to join a flyfishing club in the area if anyone has any recommendations. However I do it I'm serious about getting started at this, but I don't want to just go out and make windknots, drown feathers and wound fish with fuzzy little hooks. I'd like to do it right. Any advice, or better yet, any volunteers? JF

Didn't you hear about the boy inside the man? JF

My son is a CPGA pro and he loves the game. That's why he got it for me. JF

Tiger Woods golf is how it starts. JF

I'm not familiar with the online part of gaming. Can you play cross platform? I have an old Xbox my son gave me when he got Xbox 360 but I only have COD3 for it. I have COD 4 for the PC ( and will be playing it once I get a better video card) JF

I couldn't bring you. That would tax it's abilities. Besides, we'd look two mushrooms growing out of a sidewalk crack. JF

How does it handle with only one person? JF

I'll try. I have to take a run down there from Stratford for another reason and might just arrange to do it that day. Can't say for sure just yet though. Even if the other thing doesn't work out it's only 30 minutes to that location from my place. JF

I've got an old longneck that you may be able to borrow for a while if you'd like. I haven't picked it up in years so my bro took it to work on some banjo lines for some recording he's been doing. I'd have to see if he's done with it, but he's had it for quite a while. Let me know. JF

No kidding! My son gave me that one for Christmas (I've finished 1, 2 & 3) but I need a better video card to play it properly. I'm due for a new desktop anyway so it can wait till I get that running. In the meantime Matt gave me his old XBox with a bunch of action games. They'll keep me occupied for as much time as I can spare. I'm kinda partial to Sega racing & James Bond right now. I've almost learned to actually make the Mustang stay on the track while shifting gears manually. Mebbe I should look for the Rapala game. Is there an XBox version of it? JF

Couple of things - kayaking is something I'll be doing in warm weather only. My chubby little butt doesn't do so well that close to icy water. And the other thing is that beer, whatever there is of it, will be inside me, so that doesn't count as weight, right? JF

Here's a question for any of you heavyweights. I weigh in at 225 on a lean day, so with gear (and clothes) I'm gonna run 235-240 minimum. I've been out in big sea kayaks but never these little bitty ones I see around here. What do I need to stay on top of the water. I'm not afraid of getting wet but what's the point of using the kayak if I need my dive mask to see what's going on around me. My best fishing buddy is a scrawny little dude (mebbe 150 on a fat day) who loves fishing from his homemade kayaks (and one foldable) but he apparently has no clue what I should have. To him kayaks are just tools, not something you actually think about. Thanks for any advice. JF

Overheard a conversation at my dealership that the key for one of our cars with the remote lock control in it is about $150. Our other car (GM) has plain keys with just the sim chip (or whatever) embedded and I believe they're close to $100. JF

If these pics appeared anywhere but a fishing forum I'd assume that it's a self-propelled porta-potty, a three holer yet. JF

I've never seen it. I keep meaning to but never remember to pick it up when I'm getting a movie. Tonight there was curling on so I had to pass. JF

We never have troubles. JF