jonbass

i used to love playing rugby but injuries kept me from playing as I got older. I used play mens league when I was 14 and just learning the game. People were very patient with me and gave me lots of chances to play. After high school my ankles and shoulder were in rough shape from snowboarding and skateboarding that I eventually had to give it up. It is a great sport.

I don't think hockey will ever get any bigger in the US and I wish Gary Bettman would quit trying and let some teams move back to Canada. I think soccer and hockey will never compete with college football let alone the pro leagues. They can't even compete with high school football in some states! The US will always have decent soccer as it does have the population base to support it and close ties to Mexico and other Latin American countries where soccer is big. I find that my interest in professional sports in general is starting to wane. The outrageous salaries and poor role-modelling of pro athletes makes me want to I had always thought that soccer might be different as many players carry nationalistic pride and come from poorer background. After watching the antics of the French and English players and the constant diving and faking injuries, I see that this sport is no different. I crave sportsmanship and integrity. This article really said it best. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1288509/Pampered-greedy-mutinous--footballers-think-theyre-bigger-country.html

I see that in hockey where Canadians cheer for any remaining Canadian team in the playoffs even though their own Canadian team is out but I think our competitive feeling towards the US would keep many from cheering for them. There may be other benefits like an expanded North American league I guess. Most Canadian soccer fans I know don't follow MLS but follow the leagues in Europe. They aren't in Toronto or Vancouver though.

I can see it being great for the States but why do you think it is good for Canada? Just curious.

It looks lie it could get expensive. http://stores.homestead.com/CanaimaOutdoorsStore/-strse-Gibbon-Slackrack/Categories.bok I just bought some carabiners (is that how you spell it?) and some 1 inch tubular webbing to set up a slackline a few weeks ago but I haven't got around to it yet. The line they are using looks a lot wider. I wonder if it makes it a lot easier. This is the video that inspired me. http://vimeo.com/3700379 I gotta set it up in the next few days.

Is this real? There is a special place in hell in the special in hell... Did his father think this was cute?

Very true! :D So are the addiction meetings the Summit Expression Session? :p

Kinda true. Smoking is an addiction. I actually didn't think I would get hooked when I started. :rolleyes: In many instances I think alcohol is the same way. We see it as a social thing and fun way to pass time and eventually it continues until it is out of control. I totally understand this as I think i have a very addictive personality. I don't drink or smoke anymore but i struggle with overeating and unhealthy eating. It is an addiction. I don't think it is just a weakness for me. I don't hate people for smoking though. I hate the big companies and governments that perpetuate it for money. I do hate people that expose helpless children to something dangerous and eventually life threatening. When i think back to my smoking days, I am amazed at how unaware I was of how it affected others and in many situations i just didn't care about that over fuelling my addiction. I think that for people who do not struggle with addictions it can be easy to see them as just weaknesses but it is more than that. It is addiction. Addiction often leads to crimes and I include exposing helpless kids to second hand smoke as a crime. I know i sound extreme. I guess this is a perspective thing.

I think smokers just use up their time in the health care system earlier. If you imagine that the last 15 years of someone's life is the most expensive, health care wise, then they live it from 50-65 instead of 65-80. You see some pretty young people in the hospital with smoking related health problems. I have to admit smoking is something that really gets me upset these days. I used to smoke and quitting was the hardest thing I've ever done. I recognize that i will probably pay for my stupidity and addiction at some point in my life. You just can't seem to escape smokers anywhere you go. You can be driving behind someone who is smoking and breathe in their second hand smoke. I deal with kids every day whose parents/guardians smoke around them all of the time. The kids smell like ashtrays. There's a special place in hell....

This is the crux of the problem. We have to take the good with the bad. Everyone's perspective on what is acceptable is different. A junkie still values their life but cannot overcome the addiction which causes them to be a burden and some people are too stupid or too lazy to use the health care system with discernment and restraint. My wife is a nurse and a very large percentage of the patients she see's are related to alcoholism and smoking. These are the major contributors. The next big contributors are sporting and ATV accidents, junkies and the elderly. Should we punish the elderly for being old? We have to assume that everyone is deserving of treatment or risk not helping someone in need. Many people would say that if you smoke you should lose your health care privileges. Those same people might not want this sentiment applied to people who drink alcohol as they enjoy the occasional beer and the occasional bender. Alcohol is in the least connected to so many costs in the health care system (health damage due to alcoholism, family violence, social violence, drunk driving etc.) but many people would fight to he death to protect their right to have "a beer". I'm not making a judgement whether any of these are right or wrong, just asking who decides which situations society should support? The beer drinkers or the tee-totalers? We love sports and they sometimes cause injuries. When people have to pay to have their injuries treated, some are unable to afford to participate in sports. This can end up leading to other health problems caused by a sedentary lifestyle. Where do we draw the line? Does their insurance policy state that if they have ever snowboarded their insurance is void? Insurance companies could also apply this to food. If you have ever eaten something with trans-fat in it, your policy is void? How about the elderly? Health insurance companies are already setting rates incredibly high for seniors, effectively punishing people for doing nothing but aging. I'm not willing to make those decisions for other people and I don't want anyone making those decisions for me especially insurance companies.

That is an amazing story. i'm glad that you and your dog is all right. I couldn't imagine going through the accident and then finding I'd lost my dog too. Dogs are the good people in this world!

I found this picture a while ago and it made me laugh. Especially considering Portugal's performance today. Ronaldo really puts the "I" in...

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

"The Notebook" or "Time Travellers Wife" here I come... Curse you hockey pool!

So I've developed quite a quiver of unicycles. I just bought 3 learner unicycles because I plan on holding some Learn to Unicycle clinics this summer. I am hoping to get some more people interested in the sport and eventually get a club started in the area. I'm now up to 6 unicycles in my quiver .

I have to admit... the Blackhawks are going to take the cup.

Even though I am cheering for Philly, I'm having a hard time cheering for Pronger. He is so cheap. And then there is what he did to my Oilers...

I loved how everyone cheered in Philly when they announced during the game that Pittsburgh had been eliminated. Rivalry perhaps?

looking good! Hopin for that Habs - Philly semi final!

+10000000 :D

I can relate. I just CAN'T cheer for Vancouver or Calgary. I am an Oilers fan (yes I admit it!) and those teams are THE ENEMY!!!!!!!! I know everyone says that you have to cheer for the Canadian teams but lets face it, Vancouver is really the Swedish national team. :p and how on earth can anyone like Calgary! I'm not trying to start anything! The Oiler will be back! (I think I have used more smileys in this post than the rest of my posts combined! :D )

I care! My wife and I have a hockey pool going and she is destroying me! Go Flyers! :p I don't think I could handle the chick flicks I have to watch if I lose! :p

Seat height is pretty variable. I tend to have it lower if I'm riding trails as bumps and roots will throw you off your seat. I tend to ride it a bit lower than I would on a bike in general with a bit more bend in my knee. That is a personal preference though. Try different ways and see what works for you. Keeping your weight on the seat is a pretty common problem when you are beginning. Over time it will become more natural. Keep having fun!

Once you are falling forward the goal is to get the wheel directly underneath you so you keep your body as upright as possible. A lot of time people break at the waist and think they are leaning forward but in reality they are also sticking their butt out back and the weight and the seat is behind the wheel instead of over it. If you are breaking at the waist and your seat and butt are over the wheel then you could have a lot of weight forward, more that you can control by pedalling forward. keeping your upper body inline with the seat post might help. I wore 661 shin and knee guards right from the start. I am a wimp and I find it hard to commit if I am scared of getting hurt. I also found a pair of soccer shin guards with ankle padding that work when I am not worried about my knees.

Yes! I love hearing about people taking up unicycling! How tall is your daughter? I have a friend that was interested in buying a unicycle for her 6 year old but I wasn't really sure about the really small sizes. The unicycle that you bought looks good for the price. I am thinking of buying a bunch of inexpensive unis to start a club and give people a chance to try it. To bad those don't ship outside the US. $44 is pretty good if they hold up well.