express168

Take care and rest, I was there a few years back. Working during the hot summer and wasn't keeping hydrated enough and wound up with a stone.Glad it isn't anything more serious.

Good Luck with the new job, and great work Headhunter!

Don't forget , on the extreme end of things that if you are involved in an accident and injure somebody and it is determined you were overweight you can be charged under the Highway Traffic Act and they will have a hey day when they sue you for injury and damages . Weight loads apply to our vehicles as well ,not just commercial vehicles. Like I said this is the extreme but it is another way to look at it.

And don't forget the heavy part "THE BEER"!

But add you, a couple of guys , a weekends worth of gear and supplies and towing the boat and now I think you are overloaded. It is your decision but in my opinion you should have something a little larger, like a minivan or small Suv to be on the safer side. Anything could pull that boat and trailer but what about extra people and gear and what type of strain do you put on the vehicle. Just my opinion.

I have 2 TDR's, an 8 foot and 9 foot with Okuma convectors for running dipsys. They work great for me , I have owned an ugly stick years back as a casting rod for pike and had no complaints.

There is a place called White Birches in Port Loring which is roughly 30 minutes short of Nippissing. They have an outpost cabin on a back lake called Long Lake accessed by boat and a short portage. It is big and can accomodate up to 13 people. I stayed there about 9 years ago but still remember it as one of my favorite fishing trips. We got some good pike and smallmouth, it has 2 propane powered fridges and freezers, stove,BBQ, propane lighting and a cold lakewater shower and toilet, and included firewood and boats and motors according to the number of guests. It is complete seclusion and may be what you are looking for although is a bit pricey. They have a website link in the camps and lodges directory on the OFC mainpage, they are listed in the Loring/Restoule area. Hope this helps and hope you find a place you enjoy. If you have any other questions about this place send me a PM.

It appears to be a members club for travel and products. They will likely try to get you to buy an expensive membership, after you sit through a lengthy presentation. Leave your credit and debit cards at home so that you don't fall for the PRESSURED sales pitch and make sure they pay up with the prize as promised at the end.

Done,great idea!

My thoughts are with you and your family and remember nobody dies as long as you keep them in your heart and memories.

The wife is working until 9:30pm , just as the freezing rain should really be kicking in. I already told her if it looks too bad to just get a room at the motel near her restaurant and stay the night. It isn't worth risking it.

I have had no problem finding gas around the Hamilton , Stoney Creek area. The odd station without but most I came across all had gas. 99 -1.00 per litre but they had gas.

Awesome boat!, and like people say it is not karma, it was your sincere actions as a friend that rewarded you. A saying that a martial arts instructor once mentioned to me is " DESTINY COMES BY CHOICE, NOT BY CHANCE! " And your sincere actions dictated this destiny. Enjoy the boat and your ongoing friendship with the other couple.

Remind me never to knock on your door , it might accidentally go off

But our american friends still have the EXTRA CRISPY KFC. I know I am begging for a heart attack but KFC has to start selling just buckets of fried skin . YUM!

I have an 03 Blazer and tow about 2000lbs with it with no problems. Enough power to pass with the vortec V6 and good braking with 4 wheel discs and never a problem on any ramps with the 4 wheel drive.

4 days to lake Mattagami near gogama in mid june and then another 4 days somewhere in mid september. The rest will all be day trips

Sure they'll replace those hardwood floors! Honey, why do these floors squeek so much. Good luck defrosting that place in the next few days.

The boss called me on the cellphone this morning while picking up the crew with the crew truck and said to go home and not to bother coming into the yard as it is way too cold -32 celcius with windchill this morning at 5 . Not good temperatures to pour a concrete foundation. He told me to call him first thing in the morning for the next few days as the temperatures aren't supposed too be much better, alot of lost time in the winter. Oh well it gives some more time to work on getting that new business put together and hopefully have some warmer work days. For those of you in jobs that still have to be outside today, stay warm and be careful I really feel for you guys.

WOW! You people are AWESOME!!!!! First I would like to thank all of you for replying to this post and giving me your honest replies both PRO and CON. I know I was pretty vague about the type of business and my business background earlier so I will elaborate. This is the second business that I am going to start. Before I had kids I ran a part time DJ service for many years and made very good part time money at it. I eventually closed things down and sold the gear as I never intended it to go fulltime. This new business has been in the planning for 2 years with the assistance of my brother in law who has owned and operated his own successful business for 15 years now and my sister who has had her own business as well for 12 years now( no they will not be partners with me), involving market research , meetings with my accountant, lawyer and insurance agent, additional training and certifications, and meeting with people running a similar business in other market areas. This business is to be started part time and is service oriented with a very low overhead and still in the housing and real estate industry ( And no I am not jumping on the house flipping bandwagon). I however know that there is a very good posibility that this could lead to me moving into this fulltime and unlike the DJ service it is something I would like to do fulltime and was interested in the experiences that others had when they did something similar. All of you were very kind with offers of assistance and I may PM some of you to talk further, Thank you all for your frank and straightforward replies and I will keep you all posted on how things go. I just hope I still manage to squeeze in some fishing.

If I was sitting behind a desk it might not be so bad, but I work in residential and commercial foundation construction and I don't know if I will last till 55 or 60 to collect my pension let alone what type of condition will my body will be in 25 years from now. Like you said Irish I know I am capable of getting a job in my current field in a heartbeat if it came down to it but I sure hope it doesn't. My wifes job will allow us to maintain a benefit plan for the family at least. I will be able to schedule appointments on weekends to start and maintain my current job , but hopefully as I make a name for myself I would obviously have to take it on fulltime I hope. But that is why I posted this, I wanted to hear both the pros and cons from others expeirences, because I know it is not easy and all rosy to do. Thanks for sharing your experiences and I would love to hear any others.

sorry to hearCliff, not everybody has a chance to work at what they enjoy like you said you did. Hope for the best and I gaurantee that you are going to make another company very successful soon.

I know many of you here run your own businesses and I was wondering how many of you left old jobs to do it. I currently have a well paying job with good benefits and a pension, but I am not happy at it. I am 33 and I have been looking into starting my own business for some time now. It would be something I enjoy doing alot more and my wife is working full time at the moment and is supporting my decision to try this. It isn't a money issue but rather it would improve my family life because i currently spend at least 3 hours a day commuting back and forth and barely have any time with my kids during the week. I leave home at 5am and don't get back until about 7pm each day, so you could understand my stress levels. The business would be a local service oriented business that only has daytime hours so that would help with the family life considerably. I would be able to start part time initially but would eventually have to leave the security of my job if I really wanted to make it. With 2 young kids and a mortgage it is kind of nerve racking to take that jump. I guess I just wanted to hear from any of you that took that jump and how you felt about your experiences. Thanks , it is kind of theraputic to talk about it ,because it sits on my mind all day.

A 110lb black lab named Zeus and an Aquarium with Bala Sharks, Clown Loaches, Dwarf Rainbows,Neon Tetras and Algae Eaters.

I am considering the purchase of a basic GPS unit to have in the boat with me, I don't need anything fancy, I am just looking for accurate speeds for trolling, some marking of waypoints of some hotspots ,and a route that I can follow out if I ever get lost or have the thick fog roll in on me AGAIN! The Etrec appears to suit what I need and I just wanted to hear from those who have one or has had one. Thanks.