Tigris

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Is this a good read ? I’m thinking of starting it but it looks tedious
Thoughts ?

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At least give it a try. For me it's an essential read. Book 1 never seemed tedious, though parts of book 2 and 3 were. But I probably should have read other things between them.

A good companion to them is Stephen Kotkin's biography of Stalin. It's 3 parts as well and very long but worthwhile. He's been working on it for a long time and book 3 isn't out yet but may be later this year. What is interesting to me about Kotkin's book is that the gulag system was only a minor part.

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Fly out to Ayers Rock and do the Uluru stuff plus Kings Canton over three days

Go to Alice Springs for 2 days for a slow day and then West MacDonnell Ranges

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1 day at Ayers and Alice is enough. Alice Springs is a fairy depressing Aboriginal town that has little to offer. Ayers rock is pretty cool but an overpriced tourist trap. I've spent several days at each. The outback around both is fairly cool, though. Trim some time and go see either Darwin or Cairns or both. The outback south of Darwin is just as interesting and fun. And the tropical nature of Cairns is pretty cool too. The Atherton Tablelands just NW of Cairns is my favorite part of Australia. And the barrier reef from Cairns is interesting too. Take your Blue Mountain time and replace it with Atherton. Less time in Sydney (cool city but it is a city).

JMO.

Damn, I used to love to see Big Red and Asleep at the Wheel in BR in the 80's. In retrospect it had a really good music scene though none of us believed that at the time.

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WTF how do you not have enough fuel

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Yeah, if the plane runs out of gas it can never land.

There is a levee near the Nasa site that can be used in a pinch, maybe tell the pilot that.

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Trump announces ceasefire between Russia & Ukraine

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Seriously, LOLOLOL.

He can announce any damn thing he wants. It never actually happens.

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Take up wildlife/bird photography. Thank me later.

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Great answer. I'm just back from a month in a place where Tiger Droppings is banned on the internet. I guess I could have gotten a VPN but a month long break wasn't a bad thing. 15,000 photos to go through now. I have a map on my bedroom wall with pins in every place I've been for birds/wildlife photos.

There is so much you can do in retirement. As Rocky Horror said - don't just dream it, be it. Get outside of your comfort zone.

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exploration of subculture.

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One I'm deep into. Very well done movie. The Big Year is fun too but this captures the essence in more detail and more accurately. I enjoy birding for the same reasons that I loved fishing the coast of Louisiana; and in fact the one probably led to the other. Anything to get me into nature and away from the cities. I've met a couple of those people and have heard stories about others featured. The really serious birder community isn't all that large and are mostly checking out the same places so you get to know people.

[embed]This isn't a Iran war thread so I'll not get tied up in that but for this one thing. Europe hasn't done jack-shite to help us with Iran.[/embed]

After more than a year of Trump why the hell should they?!?

Being a dick to everyone has consequences.

Blaze Foley - Cold, Cold World. I love this version by Billy Strings with Corey Henry.

Ad Astra - wow the whole purpose of this movie was to shite on the basic premise of science fiction movies. What a horrible list.

As said - Moon has to be on the list.

2001 anybody?
Silent Running
Solaris
Sunshine