53 replies to this topic

[Dennis]

Reading the posts in this thread has me REALLY discouraged about ever falling in "love." Heck, if we can't agree on a definition, how are we going to "know" it when it hits us? I guess I'll just have to be satisfied with lust... I think there is much more agreement on what that is!

Bill,

Even though I know I love Donna and I know she loves me, in the beginning, I was just plain worried about the whole thing. I would never want to go through that kind of angst again in my life. It was nerve wracking to say the least. I can only agree that we can't completely agree on what "love" is. It means different things to different people.

[pocahontas]

Our test for fire fighters here was the same for men and women (I think it still is). I think it is a little unfair to expect a woman to carry the same dead weight as a man who may be twice her mass. However, that was what the chief set as the standard. No wonder only a few women could pass that test, and if they did they were "discouraged" in other ways. Glad to say that chief is long gone.

I think if a woman wants to be a firefighter it is perfectly reasonable for her to be expected to carry the same dead weight as a man. If she can't drag the 180lb dummy how is she going to drag a person out of a building? If she can't do the job she shouldn't be there. The requirements here aren't unreasonable for a determined woman at all. I came out #3 on my list competing against the men. I was working out like a maniac.

[Walter]

I can only agree that we can't completely agree on what "love" is. It means different things to different people.

I don't know, I think Heinlein defined it quite well.

[jextract]

Our test for fire fighters here was the same for men and women (I think it still is). I think it is a little unfair to expect a woman to carry the same dead weight as a man who may be twice her mass. However, that was what the chief set as the standard. No wonder only a few women could pass that test, and if they did they were "discouraged" in other ways. Glad to say that chief is long gone.

I think if a woman wants to be a firefighter it is perfectly reasonable for her to be expected to carry the same dead weight as a man. If she can't drag the 180lb dummy how is she going to drag a person out of a building? If she can't do the job she shouldn't be there. The requirements here aren't unreasonable for a determined woman at all. I came out #3 on my list competing against the men. I was working out like a maniac.

I couldn't agree more, and good for you! If you were and are not held to the same standard, you would never be viewed as a great firefighter ... you would always be considered a great female firefighter; even if you were able to pass the "male" test, differing standards would always place a cloud of doubt around you.

[pocahontas]

Our test for fire fighters here was the same for men and women (I think it still is). I think it is a little unfair to expect a woman to carry the same dead weight as a man who may be twice her mass. However, that was what the chief set as the standard. No wonder only a few women could pass that test, and if they did they were "discouraged" in other ways. Glad to say that chief is long gone.

I think if a woman wants to be a firefighter it is perfectly reasonable for her to be expected to carry the same dead weight as a man. If she can't drag the 180lb dummy how is she going to drag a person out of a building? If she can't do the job she shouldn't be there. The requirements here aren't unreasonable for a determined woman at all. I came out #3 on my list competing against the men. I was working out like a maniac.

I couldn't agree more, and good for you! If you were and are not held to the same standard, you would never be viewed as a great firefighter ... you would always be considered a great female firefighter; even if you were able to pass the "male" test, differing standards would always place a cloud of doubt around you.

Precisely.
I was very relieved to take the same test.

[drbill]

Carry a 180 pound dummy out of a building? Yikes, if my place ever catches on fire I'd better worry since I'm a dummy whose weight is in excess of that amount.

Why should all fire fighters have to be able to carry dummies out of buildings anyway. Shouldn't they be left there to earn their Darwin awards?

Edited by drbill, 26 January 2007 - 01:40 PM.

[pocahontas]

Carry a 180 pound dummy out of a building? Yikes, if my place ever catches on fire I'd better worry since I'm a dummy whose weight is in excess of that amount.

Why should all fire fighters have to be able to carry dummies out of buildings anyway. Shouldn't they be left there to earn their Darwin awards?

You don't have to be worried. You just fall into the 2 firefighter drag weight class. 180lbs is the generally accepted amount that a FF is expected to be able to drag by him or herself. I also went to a really good class a while back that showed you how to use a piece of webbing to give yourself all sorts of mechanical advantage. It does require a stable object to anchor to however.

[drbill]

A stable object to anchor to? Yikes, nothing is stable out here on the island. Thanks to plate tectonics, we're moving about 2" northward every year. I'm a goner!

[shadragon]

I agree with you. I think after six months its love. But then again, you hear of "love at first sight."

About 4 years ago I looked through a shop window and saw an angelic smile beaming back at me. I went in to talk to her for a few minutes and we were there 2 hours. When I walked out of her shop I was as much in love as I had ever been with anyone. It only got better from there.

It is rare, but it can happen in an instant. It isn't the amount of time you spend with someone, it is the quality of that time. Cherish every moment...