JohnF

Found this news account in an internet archive "ERIC LINDROS was found not guilty yesterday of charges he spit beer on a woman on a nightclub dance floor. Lindros, a 19-year-old who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers, shook hands with his lawyer after Justice RHYS MORGAN issued the acquittal in Oshawa, Ontario. The judge said defense evidence raised reasonable doubt." here - "http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CEFDD1131F93AA35751C0A965958260" JF

Being a prima dona didn't make him a less skilled player, and I think someone else also mentioned that some of that nonsense was Mom and Pop playing agent, and not really doing him any favours image-wise in the process. I stand by what I said earlier that he played like a big (very tough) man who happened to be very skilled as well, and without the benefit of a bodyguard and unwritten rules protecting him. I think because he could play big and tough it wasn't good business to keep him out of the heavy going, especially in Philly in those days. They built the most succesful franchise in the league, business-wise, by selling that toughness to the fans. He handled the bruising, give and take, and still played like an all-star. He still gets my vote. He might even have got my vote back in the six team league days. JF

I got him first try. But it musta been beginner's luck. I just horsed him. JF

Would we have to sit near that sorry looking lot? I'd be worried about losing my beer, or my food. JF

That toque probably used to be blue or black. The sun has burned it. I can't explain the silly looking logo though. JF

You got a tiny little tv tucked down in the cushions there, son? JF

Definitely. I never liked him. Thought he was a whiney jerk, but he may be the greatest all round player to play the game yet ... big, strong, fast, smart, and great hands, but what sets him apart was toughness. He probably wouldn't have had those concussions if he hadn't stuck his nose (and body) into a lot of spots other superstars fear to tread, or had had a cadre of bodyguards and a set of unwritten rules to protect him. They were talking about him the other night on the game and I guess they were pretty persuasive. I'm sold anyway. JF

Is there a difference between worms and wormsicles? JF

Well, she told me she was kinda flirty, but ...... JF

I had a Safari minivan years ago and if the windshield wipers were turned on the cruise kicked out. I believe it was a safety feature. I don't think I've had it happen on any vehicles in the last 10 years though. Took me a long time to realize what was going on. I thought the cruise was defective. I remember that a Buick I had before that did the same thing but I always thought it was a short. JF

Yeah, sure. Ya probably have gas heaters in yer boat. JF

If you don't need it right away there's probably no harm done. Probs are that there'll be another shift back early next year. You won't make anything but you probably won't lose a lot either. Think of those greenbacks as fine wine. JF

I thought it was cuz they just won't stay hooked in the g-string's waistband. JF

The truck was a really really really good deal huh? JF

If you have a few bux laying around and no trips in mind, why not just buy the US dollars at the good price and put 'em in a US currency bank account until you find a trip that appeals to you. I think the dollar prognosticators are still suggesting a turn around by early spring (i.e. back to us paying a little something to buy US$). A friend of mine just bought $250,000 on spec. I wish I had that kinda chump change. I'm just happy to be able to set aside a few thou for our next trip to Mexico. JF

I agree on the flexibility part, particularly if Cliff & Bly want these primarily for boating. I suspect they're gonna be going sans pants a lot of the time. Two other points. I've seen separate windproof hoods that can be used with a balaclava if it's really nasty out. Give some thought to the wicking type of undergarment so the sweat that occurs, as it inevitably will with warm gear, is kept off your skin. If a cold breeze sneaks inside when your skin is wet it can get very uncomfortable very fast. There's also the shock when you finally take off yer jacket in a brisk spring/fall breeze. In fairness to those who say a one piece is warmer - it's just remotely possible there have been improvements since I bought my last one piece snowsuit in about 1975. JF

Not experienced with ice fishing but have done lots of snowmobiling and always found the 2 piece suits to be at least as warm as the one piece and usually better, as long as they have the Farmer John bottoms (with the bib). Otherwise the wind blows up yer back. The added benny was that if the day was relatively warm we ditched the top for a while or just wore a lighter jacket. The other angle is that when the weather's nice® you might only want to wear the jacket. If you don't care about the flotation device approval and the price is right I don't see how you can go wrong. I suppose the one piece rig might be a little easier to swim in if you did take a dive but yer gonna be thinking positive, right? JF

I shudder to think what a Bronty Burger might be, but since I might be in London for a few weeks then on a business gig, I'd be up for something. Even if I'm not working it's only 45 minutes to drive down. I'd like to meet some of the faces behind the posts here. Besides I'm new at this fishin' stuff and need some inside poop on Thames holes south of here. JF

The answer probably lies in the area's demography. I won't bore everyone with my windy explanation but I sent a pm. Hope it helps. JF

I use up mixed fuel in my snowblower. It's not that fussy. Gets a little smokey but doesn't hurt the operation. JF

A friend of mine moved there a few years back. Loves it. It does sound a tad pricey though. JF

Don't do it. Makes one look stupid. Nurture the ear hairs instead. JF

My wife and I have been debating retirement lately, and where we would like to serve it. Both of us have (something like) second careers that will travel well so we're flexible. In fact we just walked in the door from a week in the Phoenix area, and we as usual came home saying there's no place like home, Stratford to be exact. I've been selling homes to newcomers for 30 years here and I've come to realize there's a reason so many want to come here to live. It's a great town. Culture up the yingyang with the Shakespearean Festival, restaurants of all levels of pretention and budget, reasonable cost of living, proximity to urban sophistication as well (as well as the amenities of cities) with: - London (virtues already extolled here) only 45 minutes away, - Kitchener/Waterloo if you can't live without Octoberfest (and two top drawer universities) 30 minutes away, - Hamilton (must have some virtues other than being a haven for scads of OFNers ) 60 minutes, - Toronto with all the great things (and some not so great) either 1 1/4 or 2 1/2 hours depending on the traffic. - Only 2 hours to Buffalo and the Sabres & Bills games, or 3 hours to Dee-troy-it for whatever it is that draws people there. Despite being so close to bigger places many of us still leave our doors unlocked and let the kids go out at night unchaperoned. I had to learn to carry a spare car key when I was showing houses to strangers because they'd lock the car from habit when I had left it open with the keys in the ignition. As for fishing there's no shortage of bass and carp (or the odd pike) if you want to go down to the river. Drive for 10 or 15 minutes and the variety's better. Drive for 1 or 2 hours and there's enough choices to keep you busy for years. 3 to 4 hours puts you in the Kawarthas or 1 hour on the Erie & Huron tribs. We get a bit of snow in January thru March but there's ice fishing at Wildwood, and Mexico's only a 4 1/2 hour flight away. JF

I learned to keep a dry bag handy when I was out on the ocean in small boats. Might be nice to swap out the wet clothes for dry during a shore lunch break, or to keep the extra coat dry till you need it, and to protect the cameras etc in a heavy rain. I got a good heavyweight cordura duffle style at an outdoor gear store but there are smaller cheap models available although they're not as durable. Mine's nice cuz it holds a towel plus spare clothing, my camera, my wallet and a sandwich or two. Ripping through huge ocean waves in a little sixpack can be really really wet, and the bag floats if you dump the boat, or as in my case gets bounced/washed out the open transom. And it's a handy place to keep a basic toolkit dry so you don't have to be wiping them down all the time to keep them rust free. I realize space can be at a premium on a tinny so a smaller bag might suit better. JF

Provided they don't peon the bar. JF