HAPe4me

the others have given good information on replacing the cord, assuming it is that type of weight balance and sash cord, and I assume it is. As for screening, I would use aluminum screens rather than fibreglass as protection for cats, and against cats destroying them. If additional guards are needed, perhaps some 1/2 inch wire mesh at your hardware store, secured with screws/washers to the window frame. Or new windows. Geesh, you are thinking of pricey tvs, but balk at new windows? Depending on what part of the country you are in, new windows may well be a money making opportunity for you. If you are in a cold region, or in a hot region, the new technology vinyl replacement windows can save energy (and therefore money) enough to pay for themselves in a few years. They are an improvement in both heat loss (winter) and heat gain (summer), saving energy year round. Coupled with the resale value when you go to sell, they are a wise choice. Around here, homebuyers are definetly factoriing in the window quality when they make an offer. Replaced windows are found in so many houses that if yours does not have them, you are at a disadvantage when they compare apples. Finally, the ease with which new windows operate is such a relief if you have been having to fight to open your old drafty, need to be painted windows. Cleaning new windows is also easier (sorry John and Hope), as the new windows generally can be cleaned from the inside by tilting them inward, or spinning them inward in the case of sliders. Street and other outside noise is also better blocked by the new windows, especially if properly installed with expanding foam around the edges. I have many contracts under an airport noise mitigation program, where the airport operator is giving homeowners money for windows or new airconditioning due to past decibel level violations. (I am not sure about how well they block the sound of falling cats- I will have to test that sometime teehee- bad joke) New windows efficiently save energy, money, block noise, operate more freely, require no additional storm windows (less glass to clean), fit most architectural integrity issues on older or historic homes, and give a good return on resale in most areas of the country. new vinyl replacement windows should be available for around $200 avg per window, double that if you need someone to install them. Don't buy the box store crap versions (Home Depot/Lowes etc.) Find a contractor to get you custom sized quality windows. (PT to me if you want more info) Do not be flamboozled by the guy who quotes you $700 for his window. He has the same window I sell for $400, he just has to pay his phone room and for his hawaii vacation. shop around till you are comfortable with your purchase. Now I return you to your scheduled Hi-definition TV program. heehee. ~HAP the window/kitchen/bathroom/basement guy

Kit- There is absolutely no reason you should have to reformat your hardrive to install AOL upgrades. I do recommend closing every running task except explorer and systray before doing the upgrade, but I have never had a problem with the upgrades. (even when many had problems going to version 5 or 6 a few years ago) I also recommend installing it from a CD rather than a download version. The only time I have heard of people losing IE was when they used a download upgrade and chose to do a minimal download, bypassing the newer IE download. (IE is a LLOOONNNGGGG download time) I always tell it to transfer my existing settings, and to copy (not move) my old downloads and filing cabinet. After installing, and checking that everything is working and all my favorites and filing cabinet have been put into the new version, I usually remove (from within the Windows Control Panel) one earlier version, and keep the last version I was using. That way I always have two copies (the latest, and the last previous version) of AOL available, in case there is a problem with the latest version you can always go back to the last one you used. I have never needed to use this ability however. If you have questions about installing the new version, you should call, or contact online, their helpdesk folks. Upgrades should go easy if you take the time to read the prompts and understand them. ~HAP

You pay extra for the extra screenames? Not on my bill. I am running 8.), haven't gotten around to switching to 9, but I have never heard of extra charges for the 7 screenames. By the way, if you belong to AARP there is a discount for AOL dial up access. I think it is 10%. keyword AARP should have the info. ~I am still looking for a reason to leave AOL, but haven't found it yet. It may come when I switch to highspeed instead of dial-up, but I haven't a clue yet what that reason would be. ~HAP

to the silly farm

Ok, then it is not that old. Thank you again. However, I think my first goal will be to have that amount in liquitable assets (i.e funds/stocks/ cds/ IRAs etc) at my retirement, as well as having some additional amount in other less liquid assets. ~HAP

Through our our younger years we could not find the expendable income to put money away, other than payments on our mortgage. In fact several times I found it necessary to refi the house in order to catch up on taxes. My wife did not work at a paying job- (tip of the hat to stay-at-home mom's) while the kids were in school. It was a decision we made, which we would gladly repeat.- even though it meant few vacations and older cars. Once the kids got to college, we at long last were able to focus more on our own long term needs. I immediately refied the house again, but this time without taking cash out, and turned the mortgage back to a 15 year loan, but at a lower interest rate. The payments are actually far less than they were under the previous 30 year higher interest mortgage. This freed up cash to lower credit card debt, and also set a target for the mortgage being paid at the same time I am of retirement age. The biggest factor in my improved financial state is taking hold of bill paying, on time and online. Online billpay has improved my credit scores dramatically. My bank guarantees that my creditor will receive my payment on the day I schedule it. They have not failed to do that in two years. On the first of the month I schedule the entire month's bills, to be paid throughout the month. There is no depending on having a stamp, or remembering to mail the check, or sometimes delayed mail. A higher credit score means lower insurance rates, lower interest rates, greater flexibility in many of your bills, and a higher level of self esteem. i.e. you have more expendable money to invest. Having taken care of my immediate needs, I was able to use a modest inheritance to purchase an investment property which my son will live in for the next two years. I will build an addition to augment the modern needs of a single family home and resell it. I am a contractor, so this method of gaining equity falls well within the oft recommended guideline of "invest in what you know" I do not share the view of a coming realestate crash, but watch where you buy and what you buy. I personally do not wish to be a landlord, so I do not intend to keep these properties These steps have helped me more than meet Galens formula, but I wonder if your formula is adequate in today's economics Galen. Is this a recent formula or one from your past training?

Agreed, especially the first part, but I would add it may have a bigger impact on those who might have BECOME entrapped by TWI if not for the info provided on GS's main page. All that aside, if chat is not fun, and the forums are not fun, those of us who are long past being hurt or helped by TWI will have little to afford us at GS. But as I was writing while you posted this, GS's ability to keep my interest has little to do with its goals nor its success, uphill or downhill. ~HAP

Krys- you can think anything you wish, but please don't vote for me. (its illegal in most states except chicago I guess, and maybe Florida.) I admit to being tired of Zixars methods and manipulating attempts, but as to my not reading his poll, you are wrong. I cannot vote the last option, because if I do not agree with everything Paw does, I will not submit to being spanked or called names by him. (not that I think Paw has ANY desire to spank me) --> None of these vote options fit my views. Kinda like the current (and also the previous) presidential race. At least here, there is no consequence for not voting. It IS Paws board, and he can do what he wants. This is MY computer, and I can punch any URL I want. If Paw's or Zixar's actions are disagreeable enough to me I can stop coming to GS, or I can ignore Zix (which I mostly do now until this thread). The issues Zix raised in his first poll were not issues of concern to me. When I voted on it, my vote was negative, but was based on an entirely different issues than what he later said were his issues. The way the poll results were read by the originator, my vote was counted as agreeing with his issues. In fact, I was angry at losing several fun folks over another issue in the chat area. I was not even aware of the JW controversy, and was unaware of Chuck's supposed post, as I do not read doctrinal nor many About the Way threads. I have tired of Zix in the politics threads, and rarely post there anymore. That leaves chat as one of the rare places he doesn't impart his most holy wisdoms. It is possible that GS is falling away from my interest, but that does not mean it is not a viable site or that it is going downhill, only that it ceases to hold much interest for ME. Inspite of these or other poll results, this has nothing to do with GS's success or failure. I am not part of its target audience , goals or aims. Oh well, should I go, few would notice. Few have noticed Suz's absence either. Hurt? nah, I won't even go there. Geesh, I am not hurt, how am I hurt by an website which I am not forced to come to, and whose stated goals have nothing to do with why I have been here? silly. GS had other ancillary areas which kept my interest, those areas have been impacted by a few incidents which therefore make it less interesting to me. I appreciate different thoughts, The Strange guy is pointed but entertaining, P-Mosh provides interesting views also. Excat is a fun read. Raf keeps you thinking. Radar has much to add to any thread. Rocky was fun too, but Zix got under his skin too far and Rocky crossed the line. I feel Zix crossed the line, but apparently Paw did not. that is allright. I do however miss reading Rocky's posts, and chatting with Ala and with Suz and some other late nighters who have left GS in full or in part. C'est la vie. I only come here to play, to track old friends, and to discuss politics. Some posters make this fun, some do not. It has nothing to do with their views, but everything to do with the way they interact with others. Some have those skills, some do not. Oh well, such is true on any board. Hope you understand now why I refuse to vote on this poll. ~HAP

hmm, I can't pick any of those answers, a typical Zix poll again. wonder what he will claim this one proves. I didn't see zixar's issues as having any bearing on the state of GS, but if it shuts him up then it is an improvement I would say. ~HAP

oh Psalmie, get out of this forum! come to chat LOL

But Geo, the rumor is that a wife will love you EVEN more if you actually install it instead of storing it in a closet. LOL

yeah, what George said. I didn't see his post while I wrote mine. Good explanation Geo ~HAP

Galen- I can't say I have ever heard of anyone with your dangle problem. geesh, maybe your only answer is to use the john only when you have an erection. Have you tried a "comfort height" toilet? They are 16, 16 1/2 or 17" from the floor to the top of the rim, as opposed to the 14 1/2" standard. They are also sold as ADA compatible. (to accomodate those with need to move from wheelchair to stool., or with difficulty getting up from that awkward squat poistion) Many of my older clients are requesting them when I remodel their bathrooms. You could try them at virtually any public privy which is equipped with wheelchair accessible toilets. They are all over the place. I believe the extra height should also increase the distance to the water from the seat, but I admit I never checked that. You might also consider an elongated rather than a round one (bowl). The water reservoir is often further back in the bowl, where it is needed. As far as brands, I feel you were misled by that website. There is difference in the flush action, as well as the bowl reservoir design, especially now with the 1.6 gal max usage requirements. Manufacturers are trying hard to counter the concern some folks have about the early versions not cleaning themselves well. They are improving the action with each new model. My experience has been American Standard and Kohler do much better than Eljer, and that Kohler seems to install easier. (although there is no rocket science to putting any of them together.) Cheaper brands have a tendency to not be as well cast, and often have an uneven bottom, which makes installation harder when you try to prevent a rocky base. American Standard makes a "power flush" model which uses some sort of a forced pressure to flush the system. They work incredibly well, but are rather loud. My clients have been very happy with them in spite of the loudness. I dunno if any of this will help you with your dangling participle, except the ADA seats. Do you live near Ms. Bobbitt? (ouch) Poor cleaning of the bowl can have many causes, from a clogged wax ring, corroded/crusty inlet holes in the bowl, improper water level, or bad/weak flapper valve (where the water leaves the tank to go to the bowl) My first guess is the flapper valve, second the wax ring. You should never set the float valve to fill the tank above the water elevation mark which is cast into the back of the tank. It's a waste of water and does little to increase flushing capability. Out here in the arid west, we can't waste any water more than necessary. Oh, regarding installing used 3.5 or 5.0 gallon toilets. Its a bad idea unless the area has soft water. You are buying someone else's problems most likely, but most contractors would give them to you so they don't have to haul them to the dump. Licensed plumbers cannot install them for you (at least in my area). I guess plumbers need to know more than that water flows downhill and payday is on Friday. Good luck- HAP

ahh, Gunnison- now a wienie roast there I might actually go to attend. (it is close enough to me to be worth the trip), and certainly a more pleasant place to stage an ex-TWI reunion than in that flatlander place in Ohio. My wife was born and grew up in Gunnison and we could probably look up some of her highschool friends for places to stay. (The Cattlemen's Inn burned down not too long ago) We could float right by the camp and moon them! and throw our Camp G belt buckles on the shore in a symbolic gesture of our rejection of their spiritless desecration of a beautiful area. ~HAP

Not the Mag, Hope, but I was in ROA72 movie also. They cut us from the video tape, but in the original movie I was there , near the beginning. It was Becky B, (later F.) and me and a WOW named Beth H. It looked like we were doing a kind of ring-around-the-rosie hug, but really we were just hugging and the camera kept going around us. ~HAP

Fantasia can't dance, Diane is great on stage, but needs another year of maturity. She WILL be a star, no question, and is extremely talented. However, LaToya should have been there at the end, or perhaps some of the folks dumped in the auditions, who were better than some of the top 12. Oh well, I liked the purple haired girl that left several weeks ago. What was her name? Geesh the American people vote weird! ~HAP (who makes AI the one mindless endeavor he succombs to each week- oops, then there is GS, LOL)

speaking of "inspired utterance". I remember the last night of a PFAL class I ran in 1974? in IL. The night before, coming home late and tired, I had missed the last two steps on my basement stairs in the dark, and "broke" my ankle. At least to me it seemed broken, I could put no weight on it, it was swollen, and felt like a bone was out of place. Stupid, (and broke) me, I did not got to a doctor to xray it. I knew that our limb leader (GW), was coming up for the last night of the class, and didn't want to miss showing off my class to him. Anyway, come session 12, I found ways to sit on a table when I needed to be in front of the class. I made my way to the front when the lights were dim. (I didn't want my one-legged walk to be a hindrance to the students' believing, you know). I completed the class. In those days, the mere presence of a limb leader didn't yet mean that you deferred all "spiritual duties" to them when they were in town, and I wasn't even corps. However, in the parking lot I asked the limb leader to minister to me. He did so, ministering to me for a broken ankle, and then said, "kick that tire". I felt no change, and gingerly tried to put weight on that foot. Pain was immediate. GW then yelled at me in that fearsome booming voice "I said, KICK THE TIRE". Somewhat out of fear, (as GW was known to be able to induce) I reared back and kicked the tire. I felt no pain and we went to dinner and the ankle never troubled me again. Not doctor verified, but to me it was very real. The only people there were me and the limb coordinator and I think one other person, maybe D. Pettit? Oh well, to me it was real. Was it healing or was it positive thinking? Who cares? ~HAPe4me

Well for my two cents, I suspect that there were a few remarkable healings. the power of positive thinking is real (IMHO), and that was not a teaching confined to TWI. One scenario that did .... me off was when a 16 year old girl in my twig was ministered to for diabetes. She had been doctor diagnosed, and took her daily insulin shots for years. When she was ministered to she was told NOT to return to the doctor for verification as that would be "negative believing". Her mother had a fit over this when the girl refused to go to her regular testing the next month. When Mom called me, I told her that there was no reason her daughter should not go for her checkup. If indeed she was healed, the tests would reveal it. If she wasn't, then her daughter should return to her daily insulin regimen and enjoy a long life. I caught grief from the person who did the ministering for contradicting their "inspired utterance" I responded tuf schlitz, , there was no way I was gonna take the sentence for recklessly endangering a minor. If God healed, there was nothing the doctor could do to take that away. Her mom appreciated me standing up for her right to have her daughter tested. I was told that indeed the tests indicated that the girl did not need to take insulin anymore. I admit, since I was not privy to the daily observation of the girl, I do not know whether she was truly healed, this is a third person story once again. HOWEVER.... (next post) ~HAPe4me

awww Galen, and here I thought you would want the adventure. Actually, the best of the bee folks around here still hasn't come up with an ideal way to handle this crowd. Right now, they say the buzzers are likely to leave after another 2 or 3 years. they have been there for 2 years already. At least these are not the African ones, and nobody has been attacked by them yet. However, even after they leave, the estimated 200 pounds of honeycombs will attract mice and other vermin. These folks have a mess to deal with and it is a sticky situation. When Eric goes back to italy, maybe I cn have him send you some from there. ~HAPe4me

there is a family here in Colorado that would be more than happy to give you their Queen and her large attendant family, FREE for the taking. It seems a large honeybee colony has overtaken their home. It is estimated that 250 pounds of honey are in their walls and attic, and perhapps 40000 bees. The ceiling fixture in their bedroom regularly fills up with enough of the critters to totally blacken out the bulb with dead (fried) bees. They are now concerned that the weight of the colony and honey may collapse their ceiling on their heads while they sleep. The only solution they have heard so far is to cut 12' hole in their roof and suck them out with a bee vacuum. That is a 2 or 3 thousand dollar job. Want to come get them for free? ~HAPe4me

Then he can have my Zippo back and stick it where the sun don't shine! I am even LESS honored by it being given to me if one of his friggin handlers provided the signature. Hmm, why DO I still have the dang thing anyway? When is Uncle Hairy day? I could start the fire and then just throw it in. ~HAPe4me

beats tripping over a phone cord as I walk around the room. Somehow I can't seem to worry about this. I've worked with asbestos, I've dug in the dirt (radon), worked on exhausts (carbon monoxide, I drink coffee, eat sugar, and also smoke. I play golf under highpower electric lines, worked near a windpower facility. Let's see, why the h e ll am I alive still today? ~HAPe4me

For what it is worth, sig #1 very closely resembles the one on the zippo lighter I have. One side has the signature, and the other the founder/ president/ Way International logo. If I were he, and i were having a limited number of lighter's imprinted with my name, I would think I would use my real signature. Afterall, I am a rather vain person who would get a charge out of seeing my real signature. On the lighter, the only difference I see is that the t in Victor has an open loop, like in sigs 2 and 3, but the lighter has the same spacing of the lle as in sig 1, and also the same formation of the V, P, and W as well as most the other intermediate letters. ~HAPe4me

Krys on the last page mentioned that Rocky hasn't posted to this thread in several pages. She then makes the assumption that this is because he is laughing at what havoc he supposedly has caused. Hmm, on an earlier post she claimed that Zix was trying to ignore Rocky and that Rocky kept blasting away with depth charges. Which is it? To me it looks like Rocky pulled away from the fray first, not that he sat back to laugh, but because he wanted to turn the other cheek and go on. Even his last couple of posts here were in reference to Jerry Springer, not Zix. I agree with other posters that in THIS PARTICULAR THREAD, there is the likelihood that Zix was prodding Rocky, and his motives were not so very altruistic towards Paw as he claimed. We all know that Rocky has been on the other side in other threads however. To Zix's credit, he hasn't posted in a few pages either. I expect the fracas has been upsetting to both of them. I do want to mention that Paw has also stayed out of this, and I for one, respect him all the more for that, even in the absence of a public apology demanded publicly by Zix, but not publicly by Paw. I hope that Paw understands that my lack of supporting Zix in this demand had to do with my disagreement with Zix's assessment and nothing to do with any of Paw's actions related to this website. Lets all move on- and I send a hug to Rocky, Zix and Excat who got caught up in Zix's animosity toward Rocky. and also to Paw. {{{{{PAW, ROCKY, ZIX, EXCATHEDRA}}}}} ~HAPe4me A candle loses nothing of its light by lighting another candle.

:D--> I expect I would like you in real life Excat, heck, if simonZ likes you, you gotta be allright. oh wait, when I last saw him, he was just a lad starting to grow hair, but I am sure he turned out allright. ~HAP A candle loses nothing of its light by lighting another candle.