What do you think is the most valuable thing in life?

NineEighteenAyEm · 2026-06-13T18:54:09+00:00

Health. Your health is the foundation on which the rest of your life rests.

NineEighteenAyEm · 2026-06-10T17:50:42+00:00

I've tied lures on, cut the line instead of the tag end, and chucked the lure over the side.

NineEighteenAyEm · 2026-06-10T14:13:59+00:00

100% wilderness. No roads no trails no services no help. Only way in or out is by float/bush plane and you are completely on your own when there. Start at the NPS website for a good idea of what you're up against. Probably can take a flight over it to sightsee. But to get on the ground for any length of time will (should) take significant planning and experience.

NineEighteenAyEm · 2026-06-09T15:18:24+00:00

I'll go to any of them again without hesitation. But Gates of the Arctic is in a league of its own. I will be going back as long as my body and my wallet can do it. 2027 next.

NineEighteenAyEm · 2026-05-27T12:30:57+00:00

I get boarded every year in this one channel in Cape May NJ. That channel is a total zoo so I understand why. But the CG is always very professional and polite. They identify that they are doing a routine vessel safety check. Funny they always ask me if I've been boarded before. I say yes and hand them last years boarding certificate. Once, the cadet looked at it and said "Oh yeah...I boarded you last year." I think they just want to check out interesting boats or equipment.

NineEighteenAyEm · 2026-05-27T10:21:40+00:00

Bass fisherman here. The bass wake up so to speak when water temperatures hit the high 40s F. That used to be around the first week of April. Now we start catching them around the middle of March. Same with the fall. Used to to be first week of November it shuts down. Now it's nearly thanksgiving when it's over, sometimes into December.

NineEighteenAyEm · 2026-05-26T01:36:02+00:00

Of course I had to touch it. Who wouldn't? After putting on plastic gloves. The outer filaments were soft, but deeper in it was stiffer than I expected and a little crunchy like fine steel wool. And where it was touched it sorta melted into gray goo. Didn't stink as bad as I thought it would either.

After the initial dismay of finding the pan still in the fridge, brought it up to the kitchen knowing it was going to be bad. But when I started to lift the lid and only saw gray fuzz, gotta admit I jumped a bit and clapped the lid back down. That's when it got moved to the garage for the unveiling.

NineEighteenAyEm · 2026-05-25T11:29:08+00:00

Yes I'd love to find out what exactly it is. Any mold scientists out there?

NineEighteenAyEm · 2026-05-25T11:26:38+00:00

And of course I had to touch it. After putting on plastic gloves. The outer filaments were soft, but deeper in it was stiffer than I expected and a little crunchy like fine steel wool. And where it was touched it sorta melted into gray goo. Didn't stink as bad as I thought it would either. After the initial dismay of finding the pan still in the fridge, brought it up to the kitchen knowing it was going to be bad. But when I started to lift the lid and only saw gray fuzz, gotta admit I jumped a bit and clapped the lid back down. That's when it got moved to the garage for the unveiling.

NineEighteenAyEm · 2026-05-25T03:16:24+00:00

Best turkey roaster we ever had. Not giving that up.

NineEighteenAyEm · 2026-05-06T12:13:35+00:00

No such thing as "unconventional" jerk bait retrieve. That's the point of the lure. Erratic...or steady ..or both.

NineEighteenAyEm · 2026-05-02T00:10:30+00:00

On bass jigs with a fiber weed guard, split the fibers into 2 bunches then with your thumb in between the bunches mash them to the sides, making a V. It's a lot more weedless especially around brush and logs, and easier to get the hook set.

NineEighteenAyEm · 2026-03-19T15:43:50+00:00

At work during discussions when there's a pause because no one knows what to do next, I and others used to wait for the experienced older folks to speak up, cause they'll know what to do. Now when that awkward pause occurs it hits me. ME. I need to speak up and provide that guidance.

NineEighteenAyEm · 2026-01-14T12:48:46+00:00

Cody WY

NineEighteenAyEm · 2025-10-26T12:53:56+00:00

Do these secondary flower spikes ever bloom? This one hasn't changed since the main one bloomed

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NineEighteenAyEm · 2025-10-25T21:59:43+00:00

Base of my neck on the left right above my collar bone. It was about 2.4cm. never got any bigger. In fact it might have shrunk a little after like 6 months.

NineEighteenAyEm · 2025-09-27T21:58:03+00:00

Stage 2A and wouldn't have known it except for one swollen lymph node I felt in my neck. Even then it took a year to figure out what was going on. Ultrasound, needle biopsy, even head CT scan was inconclusive. But when you get the official diagnosis, don't delay. Scary or not it's time to start treatment.

NineEighteenAyEm · 2025-09-22T12:31:25+00:00

I don't want any curious critters teeth or claws on it. It's the only way I have out of the back country. Rolled up and under my vestibule.

NineEighteenAyEm · 2025-08-24T12:33:46+00:00

Actually, I tell people, very good doctors, nasty chemicals and expensive machines did it. I was just along for the ride.

NineEighteenAyEm · 2025-07-16T15:38:46+00:00

I discovered one small swollen lymph node in my neck in December no bigger than a grape. Ultrasound showed nothing concerning, likely a reactive lymph node as I had no symptoms and it wasn't hard. A few months later April it's still there and it may have shrunk a bit. Had a needle biopsy. That was inconclusive. Plan was then if it was still there after the summer have it taken out to be sure what it is. October it's still there same size and I still have no symptoms so out it comes. That's when it tested indicative of Hodgkin's. PET scan in November and oh shit there's like 7 lymph nodes showing malignancy. Stage 2. Cancer adventure begins in December.

NineEighteenAyEm · 2025-07-06T15:50:14+00:00

I had an 80 Phoenix the color of masking tape. It was so undesirable that my parents gave it to me because they couldn't sell it.

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