keenan

Great job j ! Youre off to a good start, and it just gets easier and easier as time goes by.

Hey, Zippos are like old coins. Dont throw them away. Seriously, some old Zippos are worth a fortune. When you have Grandkids, youll have some neat stuff to pass on, maybe valuable. Some old ones from the 30's and 40's are worth thousands.

NO BMW, You WILL absolutely be able to vote. Definitly in the General (Presidential) elections. Definitly in the Senate, Congress, and Gov. elections. Just the primaries are where you might not be able to, and like Brian said, you might be able to, check with your state. I usually dont vote the primarys anyway ( although I should ).

Its not just Obama. Its the whole bus. Pelosi, Obama, Boxer,Clinton, Biden.....etc. They have an agenda that they are hell bent on FORCE feeding down the throats of everybody. And, somehow, we gave them ALL the power. Thomas Jefferson said " Democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where 51 % of the people tell the other 49 % what to do". Well, THIS 51 % that are in power now scare the CRAP outta me.

Well, NOTHING in an e cig is illegal, so I dont see how. Nothing in the juice is considered illegal, PG, nicotene, food flavoring. I think yer good to go !

Youll be able to vote in the general election, but you MAY not be able to vote in the primarys, if an Independant candidate isnt running. Thats how I believe it works, someone correct me if Im wrong. But Ill do some checking and get back to ya anyway BMW. A few years ago, my wife registered as an Indy, cause she thought it meant SHE was independant. I explained to her that, no, its a party, just like Dems and Repubs, and now thats your party. She couldnt vote in the primary that year. Then, after I, and my whole family told her that she would have to register as a Republican or be sacrificed in a fire on top of the Andes mountains, she saw the light.

And its not just Chantix. If you watch ALL of these new drugs advertisements, 15 seconds of thier 60 second slot is spent explaining the side effects, usually by that guy thats the fastest talker in the world. Then theres Yaz, who now have a commercial aplogizing for the mistakes they made in thier original commercial. Now, when I was growing up in the 60's and 70's, NOBODY advertised thier drugs. There were no ads for Valium ! Healthcare is more about profits than healthcare. The food chain is : 1 ) Big Pharma 2 ) Insurance Co.'s 3 ) Attorneys 4 ) Lobbyists Somewhere WAY down the list, the patient comes in. The FDA's MAIN concern is protecting profits for #'s 1 and 4. Thats the only explanation as to why they're LETTING these drugs slip through the cracks. Back in the day, I rode my bike, I fell off it, Mom put Iodine on my boo-boo, and I went back on my bike. Today, a kid rides his bike, falls off it, gets diagnosed with ADD, takes a mind altering drug, the bike company is sued ( numbers 2 and 3 get involved ), the bike manufacturer must re model thier product with safety features after 2 million bikes get recalled, Mom wins a ton of money from them, Insurance premiums rise, a lobbyist skulks around the Capitol Building giving money to the Rep from Moms state to GET money to start a state support group for the life long negative effects for kids who fell off thier bikes. Oh yeah, the bike I bought for $ 25.00 now costs $ 300.00. God Bless America. Rant over.

Yo Quiero Taco Bell ! LOL! I worked FanFest at the All Star Game in St. Louis this year ( AWESOME time ! ), and Taco Bell had a huge booth there. They gave away free Tacos like every 3 hours. The lines were friggin RIDICULOUS, they musta gave away $1,000 worth of tacos every 3 hours for the 4 days they were there. I be lovin me tacos !

As I recall, no, you cant interchange 510 parts with a Blu. I have both, and the reason I dont is because I read that somewhere. Something to do with the batts and Mah's and Ohms and stuff. I know nothing about electronics, so I just does what Im told. Im sure someone else will come along to explain it though.

LOL ! I agree Jeff. Thats why I wanted to make SURE I put across, please dont EVER take my jabs to heart. I dont have a mean bone in my body. Well, maybe one. But Im ALWAYS trying to type so people know Im kidding, and not serious. When it comes to humor, thats pretty easy to do, but when I go off on a rant, THATS when I think I tend to tick people off. And, its important that people know, I will ALWAYS be the first one to agree to disagree, I mean no harm. I get my sense of humor from my Dad. In 1996, his health was in the crapper. He was admitted to Cooperstown Hospital in N.Y., where the Drs told him, it was a matter of days (liver cancer, in an Irishman, go figure). So, here was this man, surrounded by his family, who KNEW his time was just about up. There was a ferocious snow storm raging outside. During the night, with all of us there, the power went out, the room went dark for a few seconds. In the silence, all we heard was this shakey voice that said, " Son of a b*tch , I thought he said a few days !?". He died 2 days later. Sad time, but when I think of my fathers death, I laugh. Thats what its all about. @ Nana, Mark, Brian, and everyone, thanks so much. That REALLY means a lot. Mission accomplished .

Uma ? From California ? THE Uma !? Naw, it couldnt be. Uma ? Welcome, Uma.

GREAT post ! Yeah, Arno's reputation speaks for itself. And, unlike most businesses, his customer service doesnt disappear after he takes your money, it gets better. Arno is ALWAYS willing to help. After a few days, go ahead and try an analog. I think youll find, like everyone else, yechhhh! "WTF was I thinkin " Good luck, and keep us posted !

Well, this is the first post of the new year. All of the news channels are re-capping the last decade, and as usual they focus on the negatives. Whattya gonna do ? Well, what I do, is come here to VaporTalk, and unwind. Whenever I log on to VaporTalk in a cheesed off mood, I always log out with a new spring in my step. I wanted the first post of the new year to reflect that. Now, Im probably what you call the class clown of VT. I dont mind that title, I welcome it. I was the Class Clown all through school. I got very good grades. I never got in trouble. I just have always believed, that humor should not be stifled or eleminated from ANY aspect of life. When things are at thier bleakest, laugh. Crack a joke. There are people that look back on thier life, and at certain episodes, sigh. Or shed a tear. Or feel regret. I refuse to. If I make fun of every situation, Ill ALWAYS have something to look back and laugh at. Thats just my theory, may not work for everyone. I dont care if there are people I have known, who, when reflecting, say "Remember Keenan, what a clown he was". At least they'll have a grin on thier face. Mission accomplished. When I was an EMT in New York, whenever I responded to a call, one of my FIRST priorities, after the safety and well being of the patient, was to make them laugh. I remember one man, whose leg was almost completely severed at the ankle after falling at a construction site, who kept asking in a panicky voice "how bad is it, am I gonna lose my leg". I started with "It looks a lot better than the sphagetti my wife cooked last night", and I dont remember the roll I went into, but a minute or two later the guy was laughing so hard he had COMPLETELY forgotten how bad his leg was. About 4 months later, a guy shows up at our squad and says "Remember me, you guys saved my leg, I HAD to come here and thank all of you". I HADNT remembered him, until he showed up, but he looked at me and said " You took away the pain better than the morphine". I started welling up as he shook my hand. Now, for the rest of this guys life, every time he'll tell the story of the day he almost lost a leg, he'll tell it with a laugh. Mission accomplished. I guess the whole point of this post is, after watching the dreary recap of tha past year, I want everyone to know that in the coming year, Im gonna try to inject a little humor into VaporTalk, (when Im not Ranting). And I want EVERYONE to know, sometimes I might sound a little harsh, but its ALL in fun. And, if I go over the edge, as sometimes I do, DONT hesitate to say " hey, ya dumb Mic, shuddup !" Im from the old school, and I dont know how to intentionally disrepect someone. I find more sincerity when I watch Red Skeltons "God Bless" closing remarks after every show, than all of Oprah's shows combined. This last decade, particularly this last year, was a wallapalooza. In the past year, I lost my job, my retirement savings, my house. My wifes health has left a lot to be desired. Yadda yadda yadda. Itll get better. In the coming year,or years, Ill get a job, another house, save money, and my wife'll get better. Im not gonna waste one second moping over things I cant control. When I get to the Pearly gates, Gods not gonna ask for my list of things Ive acquired. He's gonna look for the list of people Ive made happy, and people I screwed over. THATS the score Im keepin track of. And if it doesnt work out in my favor, Ima gonna tell God a few knock-knock jokes, and hope he has a sense of humor. Of all the good things that have happened in the last year, honestly, I put finding VaporTalk at the top of the list. It has been a vehicle Ive used to keep my sanity. I try to contribute as much as I can to VaporTalk, but, believe me, I feel like I TAKE a lot more than I give. When I log off at the end of the night, my mental shopping cart is full. Thats why I keep coming back. OK, Ive rambled on incessantly for my first post of 2010. So, to EVERYONE here, my best friends, Happy, Happy, and prosperous New Year. And remember, when the poop hits the fan, take off one of your shoes, and tickle your foot. The problem wont go away, but at least youll smile ! God Bless.

OK, Last funny post of the year. This is supposedly a letter an 86 year old woman wrote to her Bank - Shown below is a letter that was sent to her bank by an 86 year old woman. The bank manager thought it amusing enough to have it published in the New York Times. Dear Sir: I am writing to thank you for bouncing my cheque with which I endeavored to pay my plumber last month. By my calculations, three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his presenting the cheque and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honour it. I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire pension, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only eight years.. You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account $30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank. My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways. I noticed that whereas I personally answer your telephone calls and letters, --- when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, pre-recorded, faceless entity which your bank has become. From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person. My mortgage and loan repayments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank, by cheque, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate. Be aware that it is an offense under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope. Please find attached an Application Contact which I require your chosen employee to complete. I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative. Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Notary Public, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof. In due course, at MY convenience, I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me. I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modeled it on the number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service.. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Let me level the playing field even further. When you call me, press buttons as follows: IMMEDIATELY AFTER DIALING, PRESS THE STAR (*) BUTTON FOR ENGLISH #1. To make an appointment to see me #2. To query a missing payment. #3. To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there. #4. To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping #5. To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature. #6. To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home #7. To leave a message on my computer, a password to access my computer is required. Password will be communicated to you at a later date to that Authorized Contact mentioned earlier. #8. To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 7. #9. To make a general complaint or inquiry. The contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service. #10. This is a second reminder to press* for English.. While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call. Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement. May I wish you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosperous New Year? Your Humble Client (Remember: This was written by an 86 year old woman -'YA JUST GOTTA LOVE "US SENIORS" !!!!! ) And remember: Don't make old People mad. We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to set us off.

LOL ! I know, what a joke. So, its like "Hey hon, Ima gonna whack myself, wait, let me call the doc first...." Puhleeeze !

Ok, if you cant spell your own name, youre not ready for "Keenans Private Stock" !. Fork it over Bub !

Freakin GREAT news Dude ! Good Luck and keep us posted.

I forgot to check my mail today ! Arrrrghh! I'll let ya know tomorrow Dave !

Sooo true Brian. I am SO tired of this "Mother Government" we're turning into. Example, my wife still smokes analogs. Several states, including ours, have a law being passed tonight about "Fire Safe Cigarettes", or FSC cigs. ALL cigs sold in these states MUST be FSC. They have little "bands" woven into the paper, so if you set the cig down, it will put itself out instead of burn all the way through. WTF !!! REALLY ? Theyve already started selling them here, and for the last 2 weeks my wife has been homicidal because every time she looks down, or goes to take a puff, the cig is out ! She has to relight 1 cig about 6 times. Now, I know, maybe she'll quit now, and Id like nothing better. BUT, I am not a hypocrite, and I will DIE to protect her right to smoke, her "pursuit of happiness". I dont think for one second these were made to prevent fires. PUHLEEEZE ! Whats next, fire safe candles? Fire safe Bic Lighters? How about investing some money to prevent child abduction ? Oh no, we have to protect pedophiles rights, I forgot. And has ANYONE else noticed all these little ads on FoxNews.com and Cnn and Yahoo that say "Obama Wants Single Mothers To.." or "Obama Wants You to Go Back To School". This stuff is scaring the living daylights outta me, I swear. This is what they do in China. In Vietnam. In Korea. They Diefy there leader, make them God Like. I DO NOT like Obama, but he is my freely elected President, and I will acknowledge that, but I am SO close to crossing the line, because I expect HIM to be the first one to say "Stop This Nonsense" Mother Government HAS to go !. Whew. Sorry, BIG rant there. Last one of this year, I promise.

Hmmmmmmmm.......berry interesting.

I hear ya. Im really not sure its a fixable problem, given the magnitude of it all. I dont think the problem is uninsurable people, nor do i think the answer is to have a sytem that insures everybody, regardless of thier situation. I really think, the FIRST step to fixing the problem, is we have to address the GREED, and the UNaccountable people who run the whole shebang. The whole thing is being touted as fixing the current high cost of health care. You cant wave a 1700 page magic wand and SERIOUSLY think its gonna fix the problem. This actually shoulda been started a LONG time ago. Ive said in other posts, when I go to a hospital, and I have insurance, I pay $57.00 for a freakin aspirin. That may be a sin, but the BIG sin is the guy in the bed next to me on Medicare, and Medicare is charged $75.00 for the SAME aspirin !! We're talkin ASPIRIN ! THAT, in my opinion, is where you START to fix the problem. Lets start charging a REASONABLE price for aspirin ! Id agree to $ 5.00, and they still make 1000 % profit. I dont think the cost of health care is high because health care is expensive, I think health care is expensive because of greed, therefore the cost of healthcare is high. Lets hold these thieves charging for that aspirin accountable, and its the first step to the solution, IMHO.

While our taxes may go up at a lower rate than premiums, our quality of service will plummet. Im not saying I know what the answer is, I am saying I know what the answer isnt. It isnt socialized medicine. Yes, its cheaper, yes, everyone is covered. But the quality suffers as a result. And, more importantly, socialized medicine will NEVER work in a non socialist Government. Its doomed to fail. JMHO

Heres another IMPORTANT e mail I just recieved. I signed up. This is a MUST ! On Tuesday, the Senate health committee voted 12-11 in favor of a two-page amendment courtesy of Republican Tom Coburn that would require all Members and their staffs to enroll in any new government-run health plan. It took me less than a minute to sign up to require our congressmen and senators to drink at the same trough! Three cheers for Congressman John Fleming of Louisiana ! Congressman John Fleming ( Louisiana physician) has proposed an amendment that would require congressmen and senators to take the same healthcare plan they force on us (under proposed legislation they are curiously exempt). Congressman Fleming is encouraging people to go on his Website and sign his petition (very simple - just first, last (optional) and email (required). I have immediately done just that at: http://fleming.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=55&sectiontree=29,55> http://fleming.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=55&sectiontree=29,55 Please urge as many people as you can to do the same! If Congress forces this on the American people, the Congressmen should have to accept the same level of health care for themselves and their families. To do otherwise is the height of hypocrisy! Please pass this on!!

THAT was awesome. Good one Brian !

Ok. Im from new York City, one of the most diverse ethnic and cultural places on earth. I am first generation Irish. Im so Irish I dont bother to wear green on St. Paddys Day. I just tell people my name is Keenan Kelly and they go , "Ohhhhhh..." Now, I am the ONLY one of six children who DIDNT marry an Italian girl. Have no idea why, it just worked out that way. My wife is a mutt, about 20 different nationalitys, and she doesnt mind me calling her a mutt. After meeting and being a part of my Mic family for 28 years, she understands. But, I have been to MANY of my in laws houses MANY times. So when I got this e mail, I literally spit coffee through my nose from laughing so hard. If you come from an ethinic background, you'll really appreciate this. If not, I think youll ROFL anyway. I like to make people laugh, so I thought Id share this with you guys .... (This was an e mail sent to me ) "I thought it would be a nice idea to bring a date to my parents' house on Christmas Eve. I thought it would be interesting for a non- Italian girl to see how an Italian family spends the holidays. I thought my mother and my date would hit it off like partridges and pear trees.....I was wrong! I had only known Karen for three weeks when I extended the invitation. 'I know these family things can be a little weird,' I told her, 'but my folks are great, and we always have a lot of fun on Christmas Eve.' 'Sounds fine to me,' Karen said. I told my mother I'd be bringing Karen with me. 'She's a very nice girl and she's really looking forward to meeting all of you.' 'Sounds fine to me,' my mother said. And that was that. Two telephone calls. Two sounds-fine-to-me. What more could I want? I should point out, I suppose, that in Italian households, Christmas Eve is the social event of the season -- an Italian woman's reason for living. She cleans. She cooks. She bakes. She orchestrates every minute of the entire evening. Christmas Eve is what Italian women live for. I should also point out, I suppose, that when it comes to the kind of women that make Italian men go nuts, Karen is it. She doesn't clean. She doesn't cook. She doesn't bake. And she has the largest breasts I have ever seen on a human being! I brought her anyway. 7 p.m. -- we arrive. Karen and I walk in and putter around for half an hour waiting for the other guests to show up. During that half hour, my mother grills Karen like a cheeseburger on the barbecue & determines that Karen does not clean, cook, or bake. My father is equally observant. He pulls me into the living room and notes, 'She has the largest breasts I have ever seen on a human being!' 7:30 p.m. - Others arrive. Zio Giovanni walks in with my Zia Maria, assorted kids, assorted gifts. We sit around the dining room table for antipasto, a symmetrically composed platter of lettuce, roasted peppers, black olives, anchovies and cheese....no meat of course. When I offer to make Karen's plate she says, 'No Thank you.' She points to the anchovies with a look of disgust.... 'You don't like anchovies?' I ask. 'I don't like fish, Karen announces to one and all, as 67 other varieties of seafood are baking, broiling, or simmering, in the next room. My mother makes the sign of the cross. Things are getting uncomfortable. Zia Maria asks Karen what her family eats on Christmas Eve. Karen says, 'Knockwurst.' My father, who is still staring at Karen's chest in a daze, temporarily snaps out of it to murmur, 'Knockers?' My mother kicks him so hard he gets a blood clot.. None of this is turning out the way I'd hoped. 8:00 p.m. - Second course. The spaghetti and crab sauce is on the way to the table. Karen declines the crab sauce and says she'll make her own with butter and ketchup. My mother asks me to join her in the kitchen. I take my 'Merry Christmas' napkin from my lap, place it on the 'Merry Christmas' tablecloth and walk into the kitchen. 'I don't want to start any trouble,' my mother says calmly, clutching a bottle of ketchup in her hands. 'But if she pours this on my pasta, I'm going to throw acid in her face.' 'Come on,' I tell her. 'It's Christmas. Let her eat what she wants.' My mother considers the situation, then nods. As I turn to walk back into the dining room, she grabs my shoulder. 'Tell me the truth,' she says, 'are you serious with this tramp?' 'She's not a tramp,' I reply. 'And I've only known her for three weeks.' 'Well, it's your life,' she tells me, 'but if you marry her, she'll poison you.' 8:30 p.m. - More fish. My stomach is knotted like one of those macrame plant hangers that are always three times larger than the plants they hold. All the women get up to clear away the spaghetti dishes, except for Karen, who, instead, lights a cigarette. 'Why don't you give them a little hand?' I politely suggest. Karen makes a face and walks into the kitchen carrying three forks. 'Dear, you don't have to do that,' my mother tells her, smiling painfully. 'Oh, okay,' Karen says, putting the forks on the sink. As she reenters the dining room, a wine glass flies over her head, and smashes against the wall. From the kitchen, my mother says, 'Whoops.' More fish comes out. After some goading, Karen tries a piece of scungilli, which she describes as 'slimy, like worms.' My mother winces, bites her hand and pounds her chest like one of those old women you always see in the sixth row of a funeral home. Zia Maria does the same. Karen, believing that this is something that all Italian women do on Christmas Eve, bites her hand and pounds her chest. My Zio Giovanni doesn't know what to make of it. My father's dentures fall out and chews a six-inch gash in the Christmas tablecloth. 10:00 pm. - Coffee, dessert. Espresso all around. A little anisette. A curl of lemon peel. When Karen asks for milk, my mother finally slaps her in the face with a cannoli. I guess it had to happen sooner or later. Karen, believing that this is something that all Italian women do on Christmas Eve, picks up a cannoli and slaps my mother with it. 'This is fun,' Karen says. Time passes and believe it or not, everyone is laughing and smiling and filled with good cheer -- even my mother, who grabs me by the shoulder, laughs and says, 'Get that ***** out of my house.' Sounds fine to me. THE END If you aren't in stitches by now, you don't know Italians!!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------