Phaedrus

Some discussion of email issues in this thread, too, if you haven't already seen it. I've been trying out Google Apps for business since then (h/t Backrubman)... and yes, it's very good. Whatever else you may say about them, Google really understand the importance of making the user interface simple, and how to do it. I have a domain hosted elsewhere, but having my email run through Google will cost somewhat less than $5/month when I start paying. And the bonus of actually paying for the service is that you don't get ads, and - I think - Google doesn't mine your email for data about you (we just have to trust them on that, I guess...). That's the one thing that has always made me nervous about Google... they probably know far too much about me.

Well, you're not absolutely required to. You can sit in a cell for as long as you like :) But yes, your broader point is correct: customs/immigration agents generally have MUCH greater powers to search and detain on their own authority (ie without judicial oversight) than the police. The problem is that when you cross a border, there's a point where you've left one country but you haven't yet been admitted to another, and at that point there's not much law at all...

I suspect this may not be the case. Sure, those of us who are here regularly and read the board will know... but there's a lot of people who aren't, or don't. Case in point: how often do we see threads started by a SP who's just had one guy too many who not only hasn't read the "new to this" threads, but is clearly also lacking in either common sense or common courtesy (or both)? It strikes me that a lot of people don't have the patience to do the legwork before they jump in. And even B&S providers who are widely known as such seem to get enough business to survive, at least for a while.

It's been a while, hasn't it? Anyway... This makes me think of two Green Day songs... because the vids follow on from each other, if you watch them back-to-back. Holiday: Boulevard of Broken Dreams:

Awesome! Congratulations!

I strongly suspect that the strangest things I've eaten have come from kebab vans after some serious drinking. Strangest identified things... snake (no idea what sort) and iguana. And andouillette, which is made of very strange parts of normally-eaten animals, and is the most revolting thing I've ever had the misfortune to smell, never mind taste.

A cat. Specifically, this one.

IANAL, but as things stand at the moment (except in Ontario) I suspect a personal assistant would be open to prosecution for living off the avails. Perhaps if the SCC strikes that one down, this will change... but even so, it seems to be a fairly major expense with some downsides, as you mention. Personally, I'd much prefer to be dealing with the person I'm going to meet. But that's just me... and after all, agencies appear to survive...

Ugh. I really hope this one gets appealed! In the meantime, just one more reason to clean out contacts and call logs and text messages (don't forget the ones you sent, too!) once you no longer need them. Irrespective of password-protection, the police can't search through what isn't there :)

Hope you had a fantastic birthday, Emily!

Hope you had a great birthday, MF!

Some people have way too much time on their hands... traceroute 216.81.59.173 (snip) 6 Episode.IV (206.214.251.1) 68.642 ms 67.307 ms 67.005 ms 7 A.NEW.HOPE (206.214.251.6) 65.986 ms 68.502 ms 68.708 ms 8 It.is.a.period.of.civil.war (206.214.251.9) 67.067 ms 70.139 ms 66.52 9 Rebel.spaceships (206.214.251.14) 70.214 ms 70.192 ms 71.622 ms 10 striking.from.a.hidden.base (206.214.251.17) 71.427 ms 74.206 ms 11 have.won.their.first.victory (206.214.251.22) 71.665 ms 70.434 ms 7 12 against.the.evil.Galactic.Empire (206.214.251.25) 69.218 ms 70.621 13 During.the.battle (206.214.251.30) 69.059 ms 68.931 ms 69.981 ms 14 Rebel.spies.managed (206.214.251.33) 77.247 ms 72.757 ms 77.61 15 to.steal.secret.plans (206.214.251.3 8) 71.224 ms 71.164 ms 69.543 16 to.the.Empires.ultimate.weapon (206.214.251.41) 68.744 ms 68.824 17 the.DEATH.STAR (206.214.251.46) 72.316 ms 74.551 ms 66.354 ms 18 an.armored.space.station (206.214.251.49) 69.413 ms 70.334 ms 6 19 with.enough.power.to (206.214.251.54) 66.182 ms 66.627 ms 71.23 20 destroy.an.entire.planet (206.214.251.57) 71.926 ms 71.266 ms 70. 21 Pursued.by.the.Empires (206.214.251.62) 67.298 ms 65.956 ms 66. 22 sinister.agents (206.214.251.65) 65.020 ms 67.806 ms 70.508 ms 23 Princess.Leia.races.home (206.214.251.70) 68.894 ms 71.147 ms 71 24 aboard.her.starship (206.214.251.73) 72.130 ms 71.093 ms 74.026 25 custodian.of.the.stolen.plans (206.214.251.78 ) 68.568 ms 67.939 ms 26 that.can.save.her (206.214.251.81) 67.063 ms 69.874 ms 68.889 m 27 people.and.restore (206.214.251.86) 70.395 ms 70.144 ms 28 freedom.to.the.galaxy (206.214.251.89) 66.098 ms 65.432 ms 29 0-------------------0 (206.214.251.94) 75.931 ms 74.159 ms 80.012 30 0------------------0 (206.214.251.97) 73.026 ms 73.403 ms 73.256 31 0-----------------0 (206.214.251.102) 83.602 ms 82.079 ms 70.743 32 0----------------0 (206.214.251.105) 70.459 ms 69.403 ms 68.782 m 33 0---------------0 (206.214.251.110) 68.516 ms 72.472 ms 71.811 ms 34 0--------------0 (206.214.251.113) 69.056 ms 65.981 ms 68.202 ms 35 0-------------0 (206.214.251.118) 66.790 ms 71.556 ms 74.292 ms 36 0------------0 (206.214.251.121) 68.286 ms 71.042 ms 71.587 ms 37 0-----------0 (206.214.251.126) 72.702 ms 71.785 ms 72.442 ms 38 0----------0 (206.214.251.129) 78.143 ms 74.411 ms 72.828 ms 39 0---------0 (206.214.251.134) 69.692 ms 66.187 ms 67.369 ms 40 0--------0 (206.214.251.137) 69.184 ms 70.678 ms 67.445 ms 41 0-------0 (206.214.251.142) 70.383 ms 68.220 ms 67.543 ms 42 0------0 (206.214.251.145) 67.593 ms 72.970 ms 73.220 ms 43 0-----0 (206.214.251.150) 70.964 ms 69.082 ms 70.831 ms 44 0----0 (206.214.251.153) 73.856 ms 71.848 ms 70.311 ms 45 0---0 (206.214.251.158 ) 71.517 ms 69.204 ms 69.538 ms 46 0--0 (206.214.251.161) 68.076 ms 68.179 ms 67.620 ms 47 0-0 (206.214.251.166) 68.738 ms 70.518 ms 68.757 ms 48 00 (206.214.251.169) 68.281 ms 70.225 ms 74.811 ms 49 I (206.214.251.174) 70.203 ms 71.668 ms 71.672 ms 50 By.Ryan.----er (206.214.251.177) 68.900 ms 71.461 ms 72.297 ms 51 When.CCIEs.Get.Bored (206.214.251.182) 75.816 ms 73.957 ms 71.333 ms 52 read.more.at.beaglenetworks.net (206.214.251.185) 70.254 ms 73.799 ms Alas, it doesn't work any more.

Even if Steve McQueen didn't like it, he'd be well advised to research the Streisand Effect before doing anything stupid with lawyers...

Happy birthday, Cato!

... and I have no doubt that that's how it was intended. However, that may not always be how it's taken. There have been some ill-tempered threads in the past triggered by claiming that someone was the "best" at something.

Small point of etiquette - you've just dissed everyone else who's ever given you one. EmJ is certainly spectacularly talented in that department, but... I have no idea whether she's the best in town or not, if only because there are so many I've never had. And if you want my general opinion, the best BJ in town is the one I happen to be getting at the time :) Okay, end of hijack. As you were!

Something that should probably be added from the other side of the fence... a SP who's good at what she does will be able to make you feel like you're her favorite person in the world, and that she'd like nothing better than to spend every waking moment with you. But when you feel like that... it just means you've met someone who's very good at what she does, and although she may genuinely like you and enjoy seeing you, that doesn't mean she wants to do so all the time. Yes, SP/client relationships do - very occasionally - go beyond the strictly professional. That doesn't mean it's likely to happen to you, Gentle Reader, or that you should try to make it happen.

The fact that some inconsiderate guy shows up willing to spread a disease does not mean the unfortunate SP is in any way obliged to risk catching it! I've had to cancel due to illness a couple of times, but always with a bit of notice (I can usually tell a day or so in advance if I'm coming down with something) and I've always rebooked afterwards. Unsurprisingly, none of the ladies concerned seemed too disappointed at the prospect of missing out on my seasonal sniffles...

"Religion is like a penis. It's fine to have one. It's fine to be proud of it. But please don't get it out in public and start waving it around, and PLEASE don't try to shove it down children's throats!" Annoyingly, I can't find the original source for that quote...

To return to the OP's questions... :) The ladies who have very active reco threads tend to be new to the industry, and younger. The ones who have been around a little longer (by which I mean more than a few months) tend to get recos far less often. This doesn't mean that they suddenly became bad at what they do... Bear in mind also that some SPs seem to actively solicit recos, whereas many don't, and some seem to actively discourage them. Bear in mind also that a low-volume SP will necessarily have a much lower pool of potential reco-writers. Finally, I think we guys are far less likely to write another reco for someone if we've already written one, so SPs who have a larger proportion of repeat and long-term clients are also likely to have far fewer recos. Of course, it's also possible that someone doesn't have recos because there's a good (ie negative) reason for that... but you won't find that out here, as the rules of the board dictate that the negative stuff doesn't get said. But if someone's really worth avoiding, people will say things like "can't comment publicly", or "PM me for details". That's often a bad sign. So, to conclude... you can't actually tell much from the fact that someone doesn't have a lot of recos.

Breastaurant Made me smile.