vernon

I sure wish that Steve was my friend too!

"He'd have flown anyway........without you. He would have hated it but he would've done it." I warned y'all not to get me started!

A no longer with us old friend of mine (sometimes I think I'm the only one left!) used to say that there's a pork chop's worth of protein in every donut. Of course, he said the same thing about each can of beer so..............

"Why, tank you doctor!" My wife and everyone else I can think of (except occasionally my brother who's just as bad) have refused to watch it with me for years now! I just can't help reciting the dialogue throughout the entire dang thing and it obviously drives everybody nuts! Of course, I have the same issue with any other movies that I've seen multiple times (Top Gun comes to mind) as I just seem to retain all of the significant moments and repeat them nonstop. Caddy shack? Name the scene and away I go. I make myself sick doing it sometimes so I can certainly understand the frustration of others but it's an affliction that I can't control - I swear. I just tell them, "It could be worse. It could be raining."

No kiddin'. I got a new boat for cryin' out loud. You want me to just sit there and fish? Like in one spot?

Bingo! Where wolf? Man, don't get me started - I don't know how many times I've seen that thing but it's easily more than a hundred! Not the third switch! You gotta teach me how to do those meemie thingies (technical terms) sometime. Nice grouping!

Man, I'm beginning to tear up just thinking about it. Overwhelming actually. By the way, my dog's name in real life is Abby-normal. She was named after the "donor" of the abnormal brain in the movie classic "Young Frankenstein". You might remember when Igor erroneously substituted this brain for the brilliant brain that he accidentally dropped and destroyed while at the Brain Bank! She's a 90 lb. chocolate lab and has proven the title to be most appropriate to this point in her life. Might add an attractive special interest type story for the background. ET would likely eat it up!

Now THAT is some good stuff right there! And I'm beyond proud and honored to be mentioned as a potential protagonist in this proposed epic! And from the sounds of it so far, it WILL definitely be an epic! Who woulda thunk?

You, sir, are relentless!

Now again, in MY opinion, you've got the right idea. I can totally relate to what you're up to here. I guess it's just the guys that take the "professional" thing a little too far and think that it makes them more important than everybody else. I can think of at least a dozen times that I've been cut off by one of these guys that have actually said something to the effect of, "Sorry pal but I'm in a tournament." Like I care? I honestly would prefer that you just cut me off and spare me the self indulgence of justifying it by acting all important. Tournament my posterior. I used to play in a lot of "professional" golf tournaments back in the day. They were professional because they paid cash money and a guy could win up to maybe $5000 for finishing first. The most I ever won was $3200 and I admit it was a heck of a rush. But what finally drove me out of it was all of the guys who behaved exactly like so many tournament fisherman - they thought they were somehow more important than everyone else. Like many of you guys, I met mostly great guys and made many wonderful friends and actually became a better player as a result. But the Tiger Wood's wannabe's ruined the deal for me. I just finally came to the conclusion that in spite of the fact that I loved to compete and making a few bucks (on occasion) was terrific, it just wasn't worth the aggravation anymore. In fact, it became downright embarrassing being associated with some of these clowns as most of the regular folks at the courses that hosted the events hated them/us. Sound familiar? As for the money aspect of it, in reality I probably could have made more going to the casino and I'm a terrible gambler. I get that the money makes it more fun but it sure didn't make me anything more than I really was which was just a mediocre player who enjoyed the thrill of pretending I was one of the Big Boys every now and then. The problem is all the guys that don't realize that they're just pretending and act like their actual livelihood depends on making a putt or catching a couple of fish regardless of what they have to do to do it. I just find the parallels to be obvious and I don't like either one of em' anymore. And, I'm serious - GET OFF MY LAWN! Dang, it must be winter again.

Yes! Worse than socks in a clothes dryer!

I'm only speaking from my own perspective. I sure ain't got a problem with everybody else doing whatever they find enjoyable and entertaining. I just have a hard time understanding the justification. When I go fishing with my wife, my brother or an invited friend I KNOW I'm gonna have a good time 100% of the time. If I want to spend money to learn something that's going to make me a better fisherman I'll pay Mr. Babler or Mr. Beck or whoever to actually help me and not compete with me. Again, that's a 100% proposition - not 2 outta 3 or 8 outta 10 or maybe they'll be a good guy. I guess I like to hedge my investments a little. I've long said that what ruins tournament fishing (again, just MY opinion) is these guys watch too much TV. So far as being a "professional" and having "big money" at stake they'd have as good a chance of making it in the NBA. Anyways, just me. Now, GET OFF OF MY LAWN!!

Gee, that sounds like so much fun. Yet another reason I don't fish tournaments. The conversation and day long camaraderie must be downright heart warming sharing a boat with a guy that's doing everything that he can to PREVENT me from catching a fish. Makes yard work sound inviting.

AND to those of us that do!

I received mine like two days after I ordered them but they're still in the package sitting on the garage workbench. I'm actually a little bit afraid to go near them as I every time I look their way I start having flashbacks of or ripped fingernails, slashed fingertips, hemorrhaging blisters, hand cramps and uncontrollable fits of emotional rage. And that was from replacing ONE treble hook a few years back! Now that winter has returned, I guess I need to get it out of the thinking stage and go all in. At least I'll have a few days to heal while the snow melts I guess. And to think they look so harmless in the package. Downright docile at times. Hard to believe they're actually weapons grade.

We wouldn't be there in time to fish but will be arriving on Saturday of the April date. Might try and make it by there if possible if that's the reschedule. However, before Champ beats me to it, if you reschedule then it's not "cancelled" it's "postponed". I know that deep down inside that had to be killin' him!

Man, you guys are something else. You do realize that this is a FISHING forum right? Maybe y'all should check out GolfWRX sometime. Geez.

Now THAT is beyond special! I shall be placing my order today!

Nah, but I have these "gaps".

I apologize - not that I'm above kicking a guy when he's down but it just doesn't appeal to me at the moment. We played Friday and Saturday and it was nothing to brag about for us either. Danged wind has been 25-30 all day AND all night for what seems like forever. We were hoping to fish today as well - would have been the first time out this year - but it's just brutal out there. It's blowing so hard that it woke me up about 200 this morning and I couldn't go back to sleep. It sounds like the roof's gonna come off at any second. Even took my flag down Saturday so it wouldn't get shredded. I think that a thunderstorm would actually seem like a break right now. Besides, storms are one of my favorite things about the spring and I haven't seen lightning or heard thunder in about six months so I'm ready! Hope you get back out soon - for either activity - and I'm sure the golf God's are done messing with you now for at least a couple of days!

Online dictionaries are a wonderful thing!

Man, what a great story and congratulations on an outstanding performance. I know it probably doesn't help much at the moment but there's a whole bunch of us out here that would give most anything to have the opportunity to come just that close. I'm sure it would be equally disappointing to come up short like that but I've always found that the bigger the disappointment, the bigger the lesson learned and I'm sure you'll benefit big time if you're ever fortunate enough to put yourself in that position again. And, I'm betting that you will. Way to go.

Well now that's just great. Personal files have obviously been hacked into again. So tell me comrade "Quillback", just how do you say your name in your native "Rooskie"? So much for the security level of this forum I guess.

Dad gum it! There you go again trying to introduce a bunch of meaningless "facts" into an otherwise pretty well played self deprecatin' poor mouthin'! (If I do say so myself) abkeenan, you just disregard anything that this self promotin', Arkansas snake oil salesman has to say about me! I require regular doses of sympathy and emotional support no matter what he says! Woe, woe is me..............

Heck, I live about five minutes from the guy which puts me directly in the middle his "hood". Each day I feel like one of those underprivileged ghetto kids trying like heck to avoid all the temptations of the evil gang leader and the addictions of all that he possesses in order to somehow, some day, escape to a clean and better life! His domain is so dominant that even the Crips nor the Bloods dare tread on his territory and he rules pretty much unchallenged in these parts. Every time I leave home it's all I can do to resist all of his manipulating inducements that try to coax me into turning left towards his place and not right towards freedom and a future in life. Well, that and Cabela's anyway!