YaP

Hmm, i usually go twice a week.. and i prefer the hot sauna (~90

lol, i am with most of the other guys here. Pockets is a must !!! And as there are no jeans out there that make me look better, i rather go for "usability" than for "design"

I use a Sony Walkman MP3 player. My decision was based primarily on * sound quality * music only (i dont watch videos, and i dont play games etc.) * battery life * connectivity with the PC without special drivers (i.e. the player shows as a mass storage device if no special driver is installed) * size/weight. As i like to listen to music when i run etc., i prefer a small and lightweight device I decided against Apple/IPod mainly because it requires iTunes to be installed (which IMO is a pain...) ... and i decided against using a mobile phone as MP3 player as I wouldn't be allowed to use it on a plane trip (on many planes mobile phones are still banned completely), and because phones are bigger/heavier than a "simple" mp3 player. For me, the Sony works really fine. The sound quality is good, 16 gig for music is sufficient, and i dont need any additional features. Watching videos wouldn't be fun on the tiny display though... as always with those gadgets, it all depends on your requirements

:king:Happy Birthday Drewbie :king:! I hope you have a wild party and wish you all the best !!

I think you are right. From what i read, those new full body suits will be banned - at least for all international competitions, and it will be back to the brief speedos for men. They want the competitions be about the athletes, not the suits they wear. So they expect that those world records they just swam in Rome will stay for quite some time...

like me lol. What i find rather funny is that there seems to be a "cultural difference" between the US and Germany (or Europe ?) concerning Speedos. Here, Speedos seem to be more common in most age groups. As far as I remember everybody was wearing speedos when i was growing up. I only had "non Speedo" swimwear (some kind of boarder shorts) once, but that didnt feel right when swimming - too much weight/resistance. Only swimming naked feels better than swimming in Speedos . Which reminds me of another culural difference between the US an Germany... here, you are required to be nakked in a (public, non gay...) Sauna (they kick you out if you wear a swimsuit), in the US you get arrested if you don't wear anything (almost happened to me in a hotel in CA, because i was not aware of this cultural difference at that time ).

Check the file attributes in windows file explorer.. (thats what Graeme meant by "operating system level"). You can uncheck the "read only" attribute there if it is set - and if this is causing the "read only" problem you have. Otherwise you can try to do a "save as" in Word and save a copy under a different name.

thats prettty much what i think one can do in a situation like this. Offer moral support, an open ear, and a shoulder. Other than that, its "only" the practical little things Jamessavik pointed out - they may not sound as much, but it can be a real help if somebody handles some of this "trivial" all day stuff.

Hmm, tough question. Always changing answer. At the moment my fav. musician is Jaco Pastorius

Happy Birthday Jovian ! Hope you are having a really great day! Yay, 21 !

/me sings "I wish you a happy birthday, I wish you a happy birthday, I wish you a happy birthday, and a happy new year" oops, wrong song.. but you know what i mean ;-)

I think you already good pretty good advice here... I'd second some of the things already said from my own experience: dont go for a "diet" (i.e. eat different for some time and then go back to your old eating habits). That doesnt work. Change your eating habits. Avoid sugar (sodas are really bad) and fat. Oh, and dont fall for those "fat burner" pills or any other drugs that are supposed to help you lose weight. They dont work. If they do anything, they are really harmful for your health. And cost a lot of money. No good at all. don't put too much pressure on yourself. be patient. It does take some timeto get rid of those additional pounds. If you have a medical condition, check with your doc what kind of exercise you can do, or which ones you should avoid. Then pick something that you really like to do and do it on a regular basis. Don't overdo. When i started my "getting back in shape" program 10 years ago i started with swimming 3 or 4 times a week. At first it was hard for me to do 500 m (20 laps in a regular indoor pool). But it does get easier ! It really does ! Again.. dont put too much pressure on yourself... be patient. The goal is to have fun and feel good. If you don't like what you eat, you'll not stick to it. If you don't like the workout you do, you'll not do it for long. And the goal is to change your habits in the long run - not to do something different for a short period of time. Any sport is good. Endurance sports like walking (or running if you are in better shape), cycling or swimming is best for buring fat. Swimming is the least harmful to your back/joints etc. (compared to running which can be strainful for you back and/or knees etc.). But yea, everything that gets you moving (and that you like to do) is good. Lol, yea, lots of sex burns calories as well :-). have fun !

I wish you a very happy birthday, old bob ! Thats definitely a reason for a wild party !!

I can't really add much to what has already been said... i think its 2 things that work (at least for me) 1.) sport activities. I think everything works. I swim and bike an sometimes run, and go to the gym 2.) I try to eat healthy. Low fat. And not too much . I don't mean a special "diet" that you do for some time... i changed my eating habits in general.

I wish you a VERY happy birthday Tiff-Dudess Hope you are having a wild party and all

Thanks a lot Joooovian and dfp

Thanks a lot Corvus and Krista and Tiff ! I do not worry about getting older.. i can't change it anyway, so there is no use in getting worked up about it

Thanks ! :-) well, i definitely had worse times, so yea, i am sure this year is going to be at least Ok

Thanks Benji ... and jessiflash, and Drewbie and Matt and Kevin ! actually its 45 now (the stupid thingy doesnt calculate it on its own ). I am sure 55 isnt that bad either.. well i will find out in 10 years (which will probably be like in 2 weeks the way time seems to fly by) :-)

Thanks a lot Graeme !! I think its a good age, isnt it ?

Hey Jovian ! Good to hear you are out of the hospital! I know you are a tough guy, but never underestimate an infection... hope you get well soon

Haha, well, nothing wrong with being nice to yourself HappyBirthday Hope you have a wild party

wohoo.. it's Drew's birthday ! Happy Birthday Drewbie Hope you have a nice party ! May all your wishes come true

I said i decided to ignore the games (and the opening ceremony)... NOT the country - huge difference

Edit: removed my comment because .. no politics in the Lounge ;-) I started a new thread instead in the Soapbox