Fisher of Men

I feel sorry for the dude. :'( You know that people have to hate being around him.

That's really beautiful. That's one of my daily prayers, although I'm here with them every day. Please be aware that people are praying for you daily as well. In reference to the question, yes, I pray often, even for my fishing trip. Usually I just thank God for the health and opportunity to enjoy His wonderful creation. If I catch a big one, well, that's secondary to anything else.

Are those older than the black ones, 'cause mine's black? And its still my one of my favorites. That reel, on a Berkely Series One rod, is still my favorite worming outfit. AND, back in the day, I picked up the rod for $28 and the reel for $42 (20 years ago). Needless to say, the rest of my stuff is less in value. Other than the Shimano Curado I bummed off of my cousin (for nothing), I don't have any rod or reel over $50 and can't complain. To each his own. P.S. Like Glenn said, I saw the humor in this from the start, too. Oh, and here's my smiley so I don't offend anyone. . . LOL ;D

Well, we live another day!!! I really hope the Mavs can dig out of this hole. One more win and its dead even. . . game 7 at home will decide.

Congrats Huskertko, A few years back I was a vo-ag teacher on a 12 month contract. My summers were just about as busy as the school year. After my daughter constantly asking, "Daddy, when are you going to be home?" all those times, I decided to take a cut and teach Science (10 month). I'll never forget my first summer with her. My wife continued to work and we had a blast. My wife was soooo envious. Since then, God has blessed us for my wife to stay at home. She now sub's for our school 2-3 days a week, but we are both home with my 8 year old daughter all summer. Cherish this time with them. . . they grow up fast. -Fisher

Hey Justfishin, I wasn't trying to put you down or anything. I agree with Avid. Stuff like this (photoshopped pix/urban legends) is fun to talk about. Don't feel bad about it. -Fisher

Hey man, I remember the feeling, but it wasn't real bad for me. I went to Jr. College a couple of years and still got to see alot of my friends. I commuted to the university for another year before getting married. I lived about 45 minutes away from home with my wife during my Senior year. I guess it was a slower process for me. That's been almost 20 years now, and I do have to say, I haven't missed my classmates that much. God has truly been good to introduce me to so many new people along the way. I've been back to a 10 and 15 year reunion and alot of my true "friends" haven't shown up. Perhaps I'll see more of them at the 20. Like everyone else has said, don't dwell on the sadness for long. I don't won't to sound preachy, but if you get a chance read Matthew 6:33-34. It's good advice for a graduate. God bless, Fisher P.S. Congratulations on graduating!! As you enter college, you might tend to get discouraged at times (particularly when you see friends who entered the workforce right out of HS driving new cars and such). However, you will be much happier with a college degree doing something you are happy with. Stay the course!!

Serves him right!!! I can't stand thieves. Go out and get a job like the rest of us!!

Here's some info. regarding this pic on snopes.com: http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/hercules.asp It doesn't discredit this photo, just the information regarding Hercules. It also shows another pic of the dog and horse going away. That is ONE BIG DOG!!

Ceph, I have to disagree (or at least based on the condition in our state). In Texas we actually have a shortage of qualified teachers, and the will has to come before being qualified. Offering more money might encourage more to become willing to teach, however I don't know that the quality of teachers would be as high. The fact that you question what calls people to teach is just that. . . the call. I can't describe it. I just know that THIS is what God wants me to do right now. I don't see it any different than anyone else's career choice. We are all called to do something; mine's a calling to teacher. Redneck Riot 27, That sounds just like my life growing up. My mom was a 1st grade teacher and throughout my childhood (in the 70's) teachers REALLY didn't make squat. I never knew how much she sacrificed for us until I was an adult. I'm glad you pointed out that our job doesn't end at 5:00 or on Friday like so many others. Teaching is always on my mind (24/7). Even in the summer, we spend much of our time going to professional training (at our expense) to renew certificates and meet state guidelines as well as planning for the new year. -Fisher

Thanks LBH. I'm glad others realize this as well. I'm finishing up fifteen years teaching and my "take-home" pay (after deducting $600 for my family insurance) is around that of an 18 year old going to work at a factory (absolutely no disrespect intended. . . I've worked there, too.) Don't get me wrong. I feel that I'm am called to teach and will continue to teach regardless of the pay. In Texas, I would just like to see better benefits like insurance and retirement. Heck, the state empoyees here draw their retirement from our system (Teacher Retirement System) at a higher rate than the teachers. As far as sports goes, if we didn't pay the athletes the millions, the owners would only pocket it. We do INDEED live in a warped society. That's just the way it is.

Good question, BASS fisherman. I would definitely be interested in a new one for my home service. We have high speed DSL from Sprint (now Embarq). When we first signed up they offered it for $24.95 a month for the first year and the man I talked to on the phone said, "Well, the regular price will probably be down to that by the end of your year anyway." He also said that this $24.95 would be added to our phone bill with another "tax" of some sort. When I asked him how much the "tax" would be I couldn't pin him down on a number, although he indicated that it wouldn't be "too" expensive. Prior to DSL we paid a total of around $55.00 for phone service. Since adding DSL and after the $24.95 trial went up to $39.95, we now pay upwards of $109 a month for the whole deal. I've been really happy with the service, but I now pay (with additional phone/communications taxes) $55 a month for internet. Sure, it's much better than the old dial-up for $19.95, but surely there's someone else out there for less than that and not through my phone company (which, I think, adds to the taxes and surcharges). Yahoo and SBC are not available in my area and the Direct TV/ Hughes net is just as expensive. It looks like my phone company pretty much has a monopoly on it.

"A Country Boy Can Survive" Bocephus

I bet that was a good show. I'm not a real big Willie fan, but Merle Haggard and Asleep at the Wheel were probably a treat.

I've seen them twice, once in Reunion Arena, and the other in the Cotton Bowl (along with Colin James, Steve Miller Band, and Santana). Glenn, I have to agree that their older music (pre-synthesizer) is their best. Hookem, I'd like to see them in a smaller venue like that. One of the best concerts I've ever been to was The Fabulous Thunderbirds in college. They played a small concert hall (around 1,000 people). We sat on the front row. You could hear Jimmy Vaughn's guitar buzzing. It was pretty great!

I'll have to agree with you. The thing looks really cool, but green or black rims (maybe even chrome) would look alot better.

Sorry, I can't read this thread without thinking of Hank Jr.'s "A Country Boy Can Survive". . . "I had good friend in New York City, 'never called me by my name, just hillbilly. . ." Lakeside people/Public lake users Rich/Poor Black/White Hispanic/White Democrat/Republican Male/Female Haves/Have nots City/Country Royalty/commoners . . . and the list can go on and on and on and on. . . Prejudice has existed from the beginning of time and still exists. It's just something we all need to be aware of and try to get a handle on. Muddy, I don't think anyone means any disrespect by it. I do have to admit that I've been guilty of that before. We live in a community about 45 minutes from the DFW area and that phrase ("Those city people") has come out of my mouth before. I picked it up from others here who say that they take ALL the fish from our National Grassland lakes. I have to admit that I really don't have any evidence that this is true. I think we are all guilty of a little prejudice in one form or another (not always racial or otherwise). We are just territorial people (not unlike inner-city gangs). We get comfortable with the people we live around and sometimes don't like change. I grew up in a small town (25,000 people) but spent much of my life on my grandparents farm outside of town, so I would consider myself a little "city" and a little "country". Your post (and experiencing different views from others here on BR) has convicted me to focus more on not categorizing people so much and to realize that we are all children of God. Those of us on this board are also connected in a special way because of our love for bass fishing. I will try to apply this to my life beyond the board as well. You were justified to express your concern and we owe you considerate and kind replies. Muddy, I would like to offer an apology on behalf of all of us. From my experience in corresponding with you, you seem like a great guy (regardless of where you're from). In fact, I would consider you a great friend. God bless, Fisher

I agree with Troutfisher in that I'm not going to do anything any different than any other day. I'm no "tree-hugger" but I try to make a habit of "packing out more than I pack in". I keep my thermostat at 78, recycle aluminum cans, conserve water when I can, turn off the TV and lights, and keep the fridge door closed as much as I can (among other things). As for Sunday, I'll do my part by doing what I do every Sunday. . . resting myself and the earth and praising my God for all of it. In a nutshell, it's great that someone sees fit to recognize an "earth day", but it's an indictment upon the U.S. that we don't recognize it on a daily basis.

Hey PB- We're not criticizing your post subject. It's just an indictment of our age. :'( Hey, man, I'm really envious now. I've never owned a table saw in my life.

All good information. I agree with throwing different baits as the pace will allow you to do. If the person in the front is throwing a soft plastic or jig, you can afford to throw a crank to the other side of the boat, or directly behind at mid-depths. My wife used to spank me hard by throwing a rat-l-trap into a little deeper water while I meticulously beat the bank with a worm in the summer. I think one key thing is confidence. Keeping in mind that you don't have to fight the trolling motor and that you have every bit of opportunity to catch one as much as the guy in the front will help set the tone. If you see that the guy in front is getting short strikes, you might go with the same set up and cast to the same spots as well. Keep the glass half-full!!

I made around 50 copies of the one here, and wrote about 8 or 10 times in it. That's been about two years ago. I'm just not that dedicated to write in it like I should. I wonder if I'd do better keeping track of it on a computer? Hey, nboucher. . . I think I'm going to PM you and give it a try. Thanks for sharing! -Fisher

Thanks for the heads up, Glenn. We're giving state standardized tests this week at school anyway and I haven't had time to look up the site. I'll probably end up letting one of my Jr. High kids load the phone up for me. They seem to know more than I do. Unfortunately they don't seem to apply that effort in Science though.

Me three!! I thought you were all psyched about getting a new radial arm saw or something. 8-) I wouldn't even know where to put a graphics card! :-[

As a hunter education instructor, I have to agree 100% with RW. We have to be mindful and respectful of the "non-hunter/shooter". I always illustrate this as a balance with these people in the middle. We don't want to do anything to sway these people to the other side. Amen. No amount of gun laws will ever get rid of the violent nature of the human race. I, too, am very sympathetic to the families of those lost at VT. I'm afraid that until some effort is made to combat the violent nature of our citizens, this won't be the last mass shooting. I'm not talking about banning video games,movies, etc. Perhaps we should try a more aggressive approach at monitoring psychological development in public schools and trying to treat these individuals before they have a chance to act violently. As a public educator, I have to admit that our school counselors are a joke. Beyond scheduling and testing, they really are NOT qualified to deal with emotionally disturbed (ED) children. Even school psychologists are underqualified. Perhaps by providing fully qualified psychologists in our schools we might be able to tap into the minds of ED kids at an earlier age and prevent such violent acts. I also think parents have a BIG role to play in this as well. I just thought I'd throw in some input from another angle. Respectfully, Fisher

Yes, please, Stacy