Tim

Just got back from the Middle East. I have been gone for nearly 2 years. For Christmas, I just want some peace and quiet.

I hate having to get up for work when my boyfriend has the day off.

In my neck of the woods, we call it pop.

My reading list would bore virtually everyone. Right now I am reading the collected works of Engels and Marx. It is a 50 volume set, so I will be reading that for the next year or so. I will take a break for the new Harry Potter book. Of course, I will get that done in a day. My everyday reading consists of newspapers, current events magazines, political journals, article clippings, and whatever else that gets thrown on my desk. Then there are the student essays and papers. That job would be much easier if students were taught how to write in high school.

I have done parts of the Intercontinental Trail. It was brutal. The boots handled it quite well though.

I have seven pairs of shoes. 1 pair of sandals 2 pairs of tennis shoes 2 pairs of dress shoes 1 pair of casual shoes 1 pair of hiking boots. I usually spend about $100 on a pair of shoes and I wear them until they fall apart. The most expensive pair would be my hiking boots. You do not want cheap boots when hiking the Appalachian Mountains/Trail. They have to be well made, comfortable, waterproof, warm, and light. My pair cost me $500 and are still in excellent condition 6 years later. It was a good investment.

I did not say all of the moderators should be anonymous. Sometimes, decisions are best made by an anonymous person. I have been participating on messageboards for many years. Most of the time a known moderator works. But there are a few cases where it did not. A post gets deleted (or edited) by a moderator and automatically it hits the fan. The moderator comes under attack because they are biased. Accounts get suspended or deleted. Admin gets hit with emails. The poster comes back via another account and the cycle starts over again. I have seen it and it can ruin a messageboard. People get sick of it and move on. This site is still growing. Eventually it will get hit with people who express controversial opinions that may not sit well with the majority of membership. One has to be fair and maintain order. When the situation arises, an anonymous moderator would be best to handle any tension.

I think that there should be at least one anonymous moderator.

Ahhhhhh.....the wonders of bug juice! I feel a sea story coming on......... I remember when I was on active in the Med. We hit some rough weather and the ship took a roll when I was walking across the mess decks. The roll caused me to lose my balance (and I went down hard!) and all I saw were two cans of bug juice fall and the liquid coming my way. I did not make it up in time and was soaked in grape and orange. It ruined my khakis, but when they cleaned it all up, the mess deck tiles looked brand new!

I found this site while reading Dom's The Lo(n)g Way on Nifty. He had a link at the bottom and here I am. I really like this site. Most of my time has been spent in Dom's area, but I am starting to look around and am beginning to read other stories. Needless to say, once I get my tax refund, I plan on sending a contribution. It cannot be cheap to run a site like this.