texascavers Digest 11 Dec 2009 16:20:57 -0000 Issue 908
Topics (messages 12864 through 12875):
Water Drops at 2000 fps
12864 by: Pete Lindsley
12865 by: Robert Tait
caver/Indiana Bats in the news
12866 by: David
Calling Mark Gee :
12867 by: JerryAtkin.aol.com
25-Year Battery
12868 by: Mark Minton
Crazy ants headed to cave country.....(now it's cave related!)
12869 by: germanyj.aol.com
win your weight in Petzl gear... (or help me win)
12870 by: David Ochel
12872 by: ellie :)
A Brinco Christmas
12871 by: Gill Edigar
crazy ants
12873 by: Mixon Bill
Please Become a Digital Online Member of the TSA and Save My Sanity - DANGER!
Rant Mode Fully On! LONG
12874 by: Mark.Alman.l-3com.com
12875 by: Don Arburn
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
--- Begin Message ---
As you watch this water drop video think about what happens in a cave...
http://www.flixxy.com/water-drop.htm
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
That is pretty slick. I do high speed stills, but it would never capture
the surface tension effects.
They did a nice job of adding wet sounds to go along with the droplet
effects. :)
Thanks!
Rob, from upstate NY
On Wed, Dec 9, 2009 at 8:05 PM, Pete Lindsley <[email protected]> wrote:
> As you watch this water drop video think about what happens in a cave...
>
>
> http://www.flixxy.com/water-drop.htm
>
>
>
>
>
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/federal-court-rules-massive-wind-energy-project-in-violation-of-endangered-species-act-78886682.html
I presume this is the same Dave Cowan that is active in the
Southeastern Cave Conservancy.
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Mark,
Could you please contact me off CaveTex ? Thanks.
If anyone has Mark's current email address or phone number, that would work
also.
Jerry.
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
How about a battery that lasts 25 years? The betavoltaic
battery is an old design that has recently been reworked and is
currently in testing for the military. It is actually a very small
nuclear device and is very robust, but expensive. It is only good
for low power applications, however, so you won't be using it for
your caving light any time
soon. <http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/23959/?nlid=2518&a=f>
Mark Minton
You may reply to [email protected]
Permanent email address is [email protected]
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
An article from the Wall Street Journal that was just sent to all city
employees in League City, where it turns out we have a problem with "crazy
ants". I had never heard of them until now. And they are starting to show up
in San Antonio and other cave areas of the hill country....
_________________________
'Crazy Ants' Get Under Skin of Gulf Coast Residents
SEPTEMBER 5, 2009
PEARLAND, Texas -- Swarms of foreign "crazy ants" are spreading through Texas
and Florida, raising alarms that the tiny, frenetic bugs will rival the fire
ants that have ravaged the South, costing billions of dollars in damages each
year.
Although the new pests don't pack the powerful sting of fire ants, scientists
say they can do as much damage, killing wildlife and shorting out electrical
equipment. Crazy ants have an additional trait that is proving especially
irksome: They like to hang out where people live and are difficult to dislodge
once they get inside buildings.
View Slideshow
Eric Kayne for The Wall Street Journal
"Crazy ants" swarm exterminator Tom Rasberry's hands in a Pearland, Texas,
field with a heavy infestation.
Called crazy ants because they scramble in all directions rather than trudging
along a straight track, the ants carpet the ground and swarm over anything in
their way -- plants, animals or humans. Scientists think the ants originated in
the Caribbean.
The bugs, technically known as paratrechina species near pubens, form
multiqueen supercolonies and breed by the millions, especially during the
summer. They have now spread to 14 Texas counties, mostly around Houston, but
have been found in three new spots this summer, including San Antonio 200 miles
to the west.
In Florida, similar insects are known as Caribbean crazy ants (paratrechina
pubens), and they have been spreading rapidly for about five years, said
Roberto M. Pereira, associate research scientist at the University of Florida.
In Texas, the bugs are known as Rasberry crazy ants, after Tom Rasberry, an
exterminator in this Houston suburb who has been warning about the new ants
since he first found them in 2002. They "pose a clear and present danger to our
way of life," he warns on a blog he devotes to the bugs
(http://crazyrasberryants.blogspot.com/).
Across south Texas, the insects have been shorting out electrical sockets, air
conditioners and, at Cindy Fitch's house in Pearland, the transformer that
controls her floodlights. She has replaced it three times in the past two years.
"I always thought they were just a nuisance," she said recently outside her
two-story home, "but now I've found they tear stuff up."
The Port of Houston now gets weekly pest-control visits to control the ants,
which damaged backup power equipment there about a year ago, spokesman Edwin
Henry said.
Eradicating the bugs is difficult, experts say, partly because they move their
nests the minute anyone disturbs them. No baits -- poisons that insects carry
into their colonies -- have yet been formulated specifically for these ants,
which eat everything from hotdogs to honey, but don't like fire-ant bait. They
do, however, eat fire ants.
Termidor, which chemical titan BASF AG originally developed for termites, is
government-approved for keeping the ants at bay, but it must be applied by
professional exterminators at a cost of hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Over-the-counter pesticide sprays leave piles of dried corpses that look like
drifts of brown sand, but still barely dent the ants' numerous populations.
Mounds of dead ants were piled up by a back door of the First Presbyterian
Church in Pearland last week when Mr. Rasberry was called in. Now the church is
facing thousands of dollars of extermination costs, said Rev. Winfield Jones.
Last year, Mr. Jones said, he spent $300 on chemicals just to keep circling
ants out of his nearby house. "They reminded me of the children of Israel,
marching around Jericho," he said.
The ants live happily in human environments, said Dr. Roger Gold, head of the
urban entomology program at Texas A&M, noting that people are responsible for
much of the ants' spread, transporting them in objects such as potted plants.
He and other scientists are eager to study the ants more, but funding has been
hard to come by. So far, much of the limited research available has been done
by Dr. Gold's graduate students.
One of them, Jason Meyers, now works as a market-development specialist at
BASF. He said the Texas ants act like those that infested Colombia a decade
ago, asphyxiating chickens and causing farmers to flee.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has agreed to pay $30,000 to study new
sightings of the insects in Texas.
Several Texas beekeepers reported in August that the ants were killing their
hives. "It's not spread out far enough to where the industry is abuzz about
this problem -- but it will be," said Jerry Stroope of Pearland, who has about
2,000 hives.
The Texas Department of Agriculture is surveying other beekeepers, said Bryan
Black, a spokesman for the agency, which organized a task force on the ants
with the USDA last November.
Mr. Rasberry, who serves on the task force, said its only accomplishment so far
has been to put out a brochure. He's lobbying government officials for
more-aggressive action.
"It's in my best interest for these things to spread everywhere," said Mr.
Rasberry, who notes they have been good for his exterminator business. "But I
was born and raised in Texas, and I have a real concern about the impact these
critters could have on our state."
Write to Leslie Eaton at [email protected]
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Hi,
For those of you who haven't heard yet: there is a Petzl photo/video
contest, you can win your weight in Petzl gear.
And, you could vote five stars for my entry, if you wanted (it's just a
mouse click :)):
http://concours.tikka2.com/photo.php?id=400e86cb2ccc9f89a0fb0de82d46a0d4&lang=us
Cheers,
David
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Do it for David! If he puts on a few more pounds he could get me a Tika Plus:-)
On 12/10/09, David Ochel <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> For those of you who haven't heard yet: there is a Petzl photo/video
> contest, you can win your weight in Petzl gear.
>
> And, you could vote five stars for my entry, if you wanted (it's just a
> mouse click :)):
>
> http://concours.tikka2.com/photo.php?id=400e86cb2ccc9f89a0fb0de82d46a0d4&lang=us
>
> Cheers,
> David
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Visit our website: http://texascavers.com
> To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected]
> For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
>
>
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Some would say that it's a little late to be making caving plans, but I know
for sure that planning is always a dynamic thing.
I will be going up to Conrado Castillo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, home of the 95
kilometer long world-class Sistema Purificion, around the 21st December and
returning after New Years. There are over 2000 unchecked leads and a lot of
new caves and pits on the surface that need to be checked.
Anyone who can get a crew together to go up there and do some caving is
welcome.
I have room for 2 or 3 cavers leaving from Austin or points south. Gary
Franklin <[email protected]> putting a trip as well and has room
for untold thousands (well, 6 or so). Teams from all over the state or
country are welcome.
This area is in Mexico so you will need to have a passport to get back into
the US.
Please check in with me for further information about access, customs,
activities, and some details about you and your crew if plan to go.
410-303-1177
--Ediger
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
We'll see. I can't help being suspicious of a press release that
quotes a professional exterminator, a "market development" person for
a company that makes a pesticide licensed for use against them, and a
professor who studies them, presumably with grant money. Notice that
is says that no bait has been developed specifically for them, not
that no existing bait works. My personal little bit of conspiracy
theory.... -- Mixon
----------------------------------------
Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them more.
----------------------------------------
You may "reply" to the address this message
came from, but for long-term use, save:
Personal: [email protected]
AMCS: [email protected] or [email protected]
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
My day yesterday began calmly enough.
I woke up from a Benadryl induced haze at around 4 AM and, mistakenly, thought
it was Saturday and, for whatever reason, I turned off the alarm on my clock
radio.
I then proceeded to snooze soundly and woke up 2 hours later but,
unfortunately, 45 minutes past the time I should have gotten up for work.
After struggling to brush my teeth, take a shower, and drop the kids off at the
pool (not necessarily in that order and definitely not at the same time), I
dashed down the stairs to get my daily caffeine injection and hit the road.
I was greeted in the kitchen by Buddy, our faux Man's Best Friend, and all of
the calling cards he had left around the kitchen floor. (He's had digestive
issues of late, due to my over-indulgence with him and giving him people food.
I suspect the leftover Thanksgiving turkey I gave him earlier in the week. Is
green stuff on turkey OK for consumption?).
After cleaning up his disgusting mess and hating my life, I stumbled out the
door.
Ordinarily, I make a ritual of listening to the traffic reports over a pleasant
breakfast. But, being in a rush, having no coffee, and having to tap dance
around Buddy's little friends on the said linoleum floor, I neglected to pay
attention.
While barreling down LBJ and munching on the toast and warmed over coffee (I
also forgot to set up the coffee machine for yesterday AM!), I ran into a solid
traffic jam and, having missed my usual short cut turn off, sat in traffic for
nearly an hour before reaching my place of employment.
(I love my job, hate the commute, but was most certainly having a better day
than the folks involved in the wreck ahead of me, them having needed an
ambulance, and all).
Finally reaching my desk, I ruminated on my day, thus far, and heaved a sigh of
relief for having gotten here in one piece and pleased with FINALLY having
mailed out the latest issue of The TEXAS CAVER.
(I love our new printer and the quality work they do, but, speed is not one of
their best attributes. I sent the files to them Nov. 19th, received HALF of the
order December 4th and the other half on the 8th! Thanks USPS!)
Thus begins my rant concerning the USPS and why, I implore you, to consider
receiving your TC electronically...
After a uneventful day of work, including a tortuous three hour meeting and
feeling the life force being sucked out of my body and wishing I had a pistol,
I headed for home and hearth.
This would not be my last pistol-related thought on this day of Our Lord.
I was greeted at the door by a turd-free Buddy, the digestively challenged dog,
and a lovely pink note from my favorite public servant, the USPS.
Having finally mailed out the last TC of the year at a price per newsletter of
$3.05, plus $.88 in postage, the lovely Snail Mail folks wanted an additional
$.51 per issue before they could be mailed out.
Ah, the joy of insufficient postage!
My goal of keeping the TC under $4 per issue was shattered!
I swore at Buddy the Wonder Dog, cursed every government entity in existence,
again questioned my life, grabbed the lil' ol' pink slip, thankfully left my
pistol at home (I didn't feel like doing 20 to life at Huntsville for a TEXAS
CAVER induced incident) and motored to that 5th level of Hell called "The Post
Office Waiting Line at Christmas".
Thankfully, the line wasn't THAT long and I only had to wait 20 minutes to be
told I was in the wrong line and needed to go the parcel pick up line at the
OTHER end of the building.
Heart rate rising, I trudged down to that window, waited five minutes for the
clerk to come to the window. (The half door was closed and I seriously wondered
if anyone was actually behind Door #2) and she took my slip.
I waited an additional 10 minutes and looked for the Most Wanted Posters (I
always enjoyed looking at these as a kid and, as a currently hot-headed adult,
was trying my best to not see my face joining them on this day!).
The clerk finally came back and said she couldn't find the 149 newsletters and
her manager would look for them unless, of course, they had already gone out.
At this point, I would like to mention that insufficient postage has NEVER been
an issue with the TC.
I waited another five minutes and her boss came out and said that they had not
gone out (dammit!) and I would have to go back to the original line, (Do Not
Pass Go! and Do Not Collect $200), and pay for the additional postage there.
Rolling my eyes skyward and reconsidering the wisdom of leaving my pistol at
home, I wandered back to the now considerably longer line, as you'll recall
being affectionately referenced as the 5th level of Hell called "The Post
Office Waiting Line at Christmas".
Having started this odyssey before 4 PM and the clock on this level of Hades
now approaching 5 PM, I finally reached the ESL attendant.
He had the tub of TC's behind him, along with a note that each TC needed $.51
in additional postage. This puzzled him, for some reason, and he had to spend
the next several minutes conferring with his ESL manager.
I could feel the daggers being shot from the eyes of the seething Snail Mail
Hell prisoners behind me and knew, without a doubt, that they were wishing they
hadn't left their pistols at home, as well! Whom they intended to use them on
was an object of concern for me.
The clerk finally came back and told me that I would need 3 17 cent stamps per
newsletter and I would have to take them home, apply them, and bring them back.
With my heart rate now reaching dangerous levels, I calmly stated, "Hang on,
hoss! Y'all are doing this pleasant chore, not me!"
He gave me a look reminiscent of Buddy the Digestively Challenged Dog and had
to confer with his boss, once again. This boss stated that they probably
wouldn't be going out until the next day and I thought, "No s***, Sherlock!
They wouldn't be going out until the next day if I was doing them, either!"
This completely befuddled the addled clerk and he had trouble calculating the
postage for said TC's.
He asked for the fourth time how many newsletters I had to mail ("149", I
calmly stated while trying to restrain myself from wrapping my hands around his
neck) and I explained to him that one would multiply 149 newsletters X $.51
postage (3X at $.17 per stamp), thus attaining a grand total of $75.99.
Cheese and Rice Almighty, you would think I was explaining Quantum Physics to
this puzzled Public Servant!
After several gyrations, calculations, and scratching of his head and my bald
one, the light bulb finally went off with my esteemed attendant.
He counted out 447 17 cent stamps, placed them in the tub with YOUR TC, along
with a note for the Graveyard Shift at your friendly local USPS querying,
"Guess what y'all will be doing in this pleasant evening 14 days before the
Birth of Our Lord?!".
If the TC you do finally receive appears to have been run over repeatedly by a
Brush Hog, you'll know whom to thank.
Choking back an insane smirk and a hysterical giggle, I paid the bill while
secretly dreading having to ask Darla for an additional check for postage.
I thanked the clerk and lowered my head to avoid any of the bullets that would
soon be flying towards me from the Snail Mail Hell prisoners that had observed
this fiasco.
After messing with the lovely folks at the USPS and attempting to pull my hair
out, I shockingly discovered that I had been shaving my head for over 8 years
and had no hair!
I managed to avoid any Road Rage incidents on the way home and, having arrived
there, proceeded to commemorate this blessed day with six Wild Turkey and Diet
Cokes (one must watch their weight during the Holiday season), in quick
succession, I might add, while Buddy the Digestively Distressed Dog looked on
in disgust with fear and loathing in his canine eyes.
So, what is the moral of this Dickensian Christmas Carol, you may ask?
My Christmas wish from you is, for the love of whatever Supreme Being You
Believe/Don't Believe In, to become a badge wearing member of the online
digital TSA community!
Go to http://www.cavetexas.org/members/ and sign up and enjoy the current and
back issues!
Please remember to select how you want your TC: mail or digital. (Please save
my last shred of sanity and select the latter!)
There now are a total of 17 issues of the Pulitzer worthy TEXAS CAVER available
for your reading pleasure and this most certainly is better than any gift you
have or will ever receive from one of your loved ones!
Not a TSA member? No problem!
We still would like for you to contemplate becoming a TSA member. Send me an
email for your complimentary past issue of the TEXAS CAVER and see what you've
been missing.
Visit the TSA website at www.cavetexas.org and become a paid member and/or
become an online member of the TSA.
You can still opt to receive a hard copy TC, but will have to wait a couple of
weeks, at the earliest, to receive your latest newsletter via snail mail.
The Members Area continues to expand very well and we currently have grown to
92 members, with 48 opting to receive their TC digitally.
This is a substantial savings to the TSA and has helped us manage to stay in
the black this year and will keep your esteemed editor out of Huntsville!
I have heard from more than one caver that they thoroughly enjoy reading their
hard copy of the TC, but then proceed to throw it into the trash.
While being environmentally insensitive (they could at least recycle by placing
it in the bottom of the kitty box or on the bottom of a human), this makes them
the PERFECT candidate for perusing the TC electronically.
If this describes you, please make a New Years Resolution and consider becoming
an online digital TSA community member!
It'll make you feel better, keep me out of the news/incarceration, keep my
heart rate low, prevent an incident at the USPS, and keep the pitch fork
bearing/torch carrying seething Snail Mail Hell prisoners from storming my
house!
I appreciate you reading this epic tome and hope y'all have a blessed
Christmas, Hanukkah, Solstice, and New Year.
No wonder I enjoy caving. None of the above!
Thanks!
Mark Alman - TSA Chairman and TEXAS CAVER Editor
(with a tongue-in-cheek tip of the helmet to Hunter S. Thompson and Kinky
Friedman)
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
As a past editor of the caver, I'd say you got off easy.
Don's iPhone.
On Dec 11, 2009, at 9:57 AM, [email protected] wrote:
My day yesterday began calmly enough.
I woke up from a Benadryl induced haze at around 4 AM and,
mistakenly, thought it was Saturday and, for whatever reason, I
turned off the alarm on my clock radio.
I then proceeded to snooze soundly and woke up 2 hours later but,
unfortunately, 45 minutes past the time I should have gotten up for
work.
After struggling to brush my teeth, take a shower, and drop the kids
off at the pool (not necessarily in that order and definitely not at
the same time), I dashed down the stairs to get my daily caffeine
injection and hit the road.
I was greeted in the kitchen by Buddy, our faux Man's Best Friend,
and all of the calling cards he had left around the kitchen floor.
(He's had digestive issues of late, due to my over-indulgence with
him and giving him people food. I suspect the leftover Thanksgiving
turkey I gave him earlier in the week. Is green stuff on turkey OK
for consumption?).
After cleaning up his disgusting mess and hating my life, I
stumbled out the door.
Ordinarily, I make a ritual of listening to the traffic reports over
a pleasant breakfast. But, being in a rush, having no coffee, and
having to tap dance around Buddy's little friends on the said
linoleum floor, I neglected to pay attention.
While barreling down LBJ and munching on the toast and warmed over
coffee (I also forgot to set up the coffee machine for yesterday
AM!), I ran into a solid traffic jam and, having missed my usual
short cut turn off, sat in traffic for nearly an hour before
reaching my place of employment.
(I love my job, hate the commute, but was most certainly having a
better day than the folks involved in the wreck ahead of me, them
having needed an ambulance, and all).
Finally reaching my desk, I ruminated on my day, thus far, and
heaved a sigh of relief for having gotten here in one piece and
pleased with FINALLY having mailed out the latest issue of The TEXAS
CAVER.
(I love our new printer and the quality work they do, but, speed is
not one of their best attributes. I sent the files to them Nov.
19th, received HALF of the order December 4th and the other half on
the 8th! Thanks USPS!)
Thus begins my rant concerning the USPS and why, I implore you, to
consider receiving your TC electronically...
After a uneventful day of work, including a tortuous three hour
meeting and feeling the life force being sucked out of my body and
wishing I had a pistol, I headed for home and hearth.
This would not be my last pistol-related thought on this day of Our
Lord.
I was greeted at the door by a turd-free Buddy, the digestively
challenged dog, and a lovely pink note from my favorite public
servant, the USPS.
Having finally mailed out the last TC of the year at a price per
newsletter of $3.05, plus $.88 in postage, the lovely Snail Mail
folks wanted an additional $.51 per issue before they could be
mailed out.
Ah, the joy of insufficient postage!
My goal of keeping the TC under $4 per issue was shattered!
I swore at Buddy the Wonder Dog, cursed every government entity in
existence, again questioned my life, grabbed the lil' ol' pink slip,
thankfully left my pistol at home (I didn't feel like doing 20 to
life at Huntsville for a TEXAS CAVER induced incident) and motored
to that 5th level of Hell called "The Post Office Waiting Line at
Christmas".
Thankfully, the line wasn't THAT long and I only had to wait 20
minutes to be told I was in the wrong line and needed to go the
parcel pick up line at the OTHER end of the building.
Heart rate rising, I trudged down to that window, waited five
minutes for the clerk to come to the window. (The half door was
closed and I seriously wondered if anyone was actually behind Door
#2) and she took my slip.
I waited an additional 10 minutes and looked for the Most Wanted
Posters (I always enjoyed looking at these as a kid and, as a
currently hot-headed adult, was trying my best to not see my face
joining them on this day!).
The clerk finally came back and said she couldn't find the 149
newsletters and her manager would look for them unless, of course,
they had already gone out.
At this point, I would like to mention that insufficient postage has
NEVER been an issue with the TC.
I waited another five minutes and her boss came out and said that
they had not gone out (dammit!) and I would have to go back to the
original line, (Do Not Pass Go! and Do Not Collect $200), and pay
for the additional postage there.
Rolling my eyes skyward and reconsidering the wisdom of leaving my
pistol at home, I wandered back to the now considerably longer line,
as you'll recall being affectionately referenced as the 5th level of
Hell called "The Post Office Waiting Line at Christmas".
Having started this odyssey before 4 PM and the clock on this level
of Hades now approaching 5 PM, I finally reached the ESL attendant.
He had the tub of TC's behind him, along with a note that each TC
needed $.51 in additional postage. This puzzled him, for some
reason, and he had to spend the next several minutes conferring with
his ESL manager.
I could feel the daggers being shot from the eyes of the seething
Snail Mail Hell prisoners behind me and knew, without a doubt, that
they were wishing they hadn't left their pistols at home, as well!
Whom they intended to use them on was an object of concern for me.
The clerk finally came back and told me that I would need 3 17 cent
stamps per newsletter and I would have to take them home, apply
them, and bring them back.
With my heart rate now reaching dangerous levels, I calmly stated,
"Hang on, hoss! Y'all are doing this pleasant chore, not me!"
He gave me a look reminiscent of Buddy the Digestively Challenged
Dog and had to confer with his boss, once again. This boss stated
that they probably wouldn't be going out until the next day and I
thought, "No s***, Sherlock! They wouldn't be going out until the
next day if I was doing them, either!"
This completely befuddled the addled clerk and he had trouble
calculating the postage for said TC's.
He asked for the fourth time how many newsletters I had to mail
("149", I calmly stated while trying to restrain myself from
wrapping my hands around his neck) and I explained to him that one
would multiply 149 newsletters X $.51 postage (3X at $.17 per
stamp), thus attaining a grand total of $75.99.
Cheese and Rice Almighty, you would think I was explaining Quantum
Physics to this puzzled Public Servant!
After several gyrations, calculations, and scratching of his head
and my bald one, the light bulb finally went off with my esteemed
attendant.
He counted out 447 17 cent stamps, placed them in the tub with YOUR
TC, along with a note for the Graveyard Shift at your friendly local
USPS querying, "Guess what y'all will be doing in this pleasant
evening 14 days before the Birth of Our Lord?!".
If the TC you do finally receive appears to have been run over
repeatedly by a Brush Hog, you'll know whom to thank.
Choking back an insane smirk and a hysterical giggle, I paid the
bill while secretly dreading having to ask Darla for an additional
check for postage.
I thanked the clerk and lowered my head to avoid any of the bullets
that would soon be flying towards me from the Snail Mail Hell
prisoners that had observed this fiasco.
After messing with the lovely folks at the USPS and attempting to
pull my hair out, I shockingly discovered that I had been shaving my
head for over 8 years and had no hair!
I managed to avoid any Road Rage incidents on the way home and,
having arrived there, proceeded to commemorate this blessed day with
six Wild Turkey and Diet Cokes (one must watch their weight during
the Holiday season), in quick succession, I might add, while Buddy
the Digestively Distressed Dog looked on in disgust with fear and
loathing in his canine eyes.
So, what is the moral of this Dickensian Christmas Carol, you may ask?
My Christmas wish from you is, for the love of whatever Supreme
Being You Believe/Don't Believe In, to become a badge wearing member
of the online digital TSA community!
Go to http://www.cavetexas.org/members/ and sign up and enjoy the
current and back issues!
Please remember to select how you want your TC: mail or digital.
(Please save my last shred of sanity and select the latter!)
There now are a total of 17 issues of the Pulitzer worthy TEXAS
CAVER available for your reading pleasure and this most certainly is
better than any gift you have or will ever receive from one of your
loved ones!
Not a TSA member? No problem!
We still would like for you to contemplate becoming a TSA member.
Send me an email for your complimentary past issue of the TEXAS
CAVER and see what you've been missing.
Visit the TSA website at www.cavetexas.org and become a paid member
and/or become an online member of the TSA.
You can still opt to receive a hard copy TC, but will have to wait a
couple of weeks, at the earliest, to receive your latest newsletter
via snail mail.
The Members Area continues to expand very well and we currently have
grown to 92 members, with 48 opting to receive their TC digitally.
This is a substantial savings to the TSA and has helped us manage to
stay in the black this year and will keep your esteemed editor out
of Huntsville!
I have heard from more than one caver that they thoroughly enjoy
reading their hard copy of the TC, but then proceed to throw it into
the trash.
While being environmentally insensitive (they could at least recycle
by placing it in the bottom of the kitty box or on the bottom of a
human), this makes them the PERFECT candidate for perusing the TC
electronically.
If this describes you, please make a New Years Resolution and
consider becoming an online digital TSA community member!
It'll make you feel better, keep me out of the news/incarceration,
keep my heart rate low, prevent an incident at the USPS, and keep
the pitch fork bearing/torch carrying seething Snail Mail Hell
prisoners from storming my house!
I appreciate you reading this epic tome and hope y'all have a
blessed Christmas, Hanukkah, Solstice, and New Year.
No wonder I enjoy caving. None of the above!
Thanks!
Mark Alman - TSA Chairman and TEXAS CAVER Editor
(with a tongue-in-cheek tip of the helmet to Hunter S. Thompson and
Kinky Friedman)
--- End Message ---
