Dave Tahija bio
47 years; Butte, Montana; single; I wear my hair long and drive a �74 Dodge Dart.
Mining/Metallurgical Engineer
I used to work on the mining side more, digging things up in open pits or underground mines. Now, I mostly do hydrometallurgy which is either
1) dissolving metals like gold or copper out of rocks and then recovering the metal or
2) precipitating metals and things like arsenic from solution to clean up polluted water.
All very technical; I�m more a theorist than most engineers and more practical than most academics. I know a lot about arsenic and quite a bit about most other metals. I write reports and technical articles on this stuff; acid mine water and arsenic treatment particularly.
I don�t always have work in my field. Mining�s a conservative industry and I don�t fit in the corporate culture very well. Right now I�m making a few bucks working on a survey crew in North Idaho.
Other Than That
I like to travel. The past few years I have driven around most of the western interior U.S., avoiding cities and Interstate highways as best I can. I don�t like crowds but I like to see how different people live. I get along fine with small town folks although I don�t particularly like living in small towns.
Drugs And Stuff
In the 70�s, I did a lot of acid; in the 70�s and 80�s, I smoked a lot of dope. Haven�t done acid for 20 years, rarely smoke anymore. No moral conversion or anything, I just got tired of them. Been there, done that, the thrill is gone etc. etc. Don�t drink much any more either but that�s partly due to hangover intolerance.
Viet Nam Story
Yesterday I ran across my old Statement of Acceptability from the draft board, with it marked
2. FOUND NOT ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUCTION UNDER CURRENT STANDARDS
That was tough to get in 1972. I was # 55 in the draft lottery so I got called up for a physical on July 5. I had known my number was up since the previous summer, of course, so I was in intensive training all fall and winter - all the acid, alcohol and hemp I could get my hands on. And I took it to the limit on July 4, even doing speed which I always disliked. Everybody assured me that there was no way the Army wouldn�t take me, as by that time literally everybody and his brother had tried every dodge imaginable. If I had a discernible pulse, I was told, I was gone. To cut an ugly, although amusing in retrospect, episode short, conventional wisdom was wrong and I actually flunked the draft physical. They said I was too thin (6�0, 117 lbs) but I have to think the nausea, burned-out stare, hangover, long hair, irregular heartbeat, all that, helped some. I was told later all the other inductees hated me for flunking when they didn�t.
I wasn�t going in, no matter what. I had the bus schedule to Canada down cold and I was moving north if I passed my physical. A guy I knew growing up was the 2d Butte guy killed in Viet Nam. He was a few years older than me, real nice to us smaller kids, lived a half block down the street. He was killed by friendly artillery fire but the Army lied about it and said he drowned crossing a river. His buddy told his family the truth, naturally. Anyway, I figured one boy coming home in a box per street was enough and poor Westin filled the quota as far as I was concerned.
Still There?
Geez, is that enough? I could give you details about things like working 4200 feet underground or more on the draft or Utah cops or working with arsenic and cyanide at the same time and maybe some other adventures but how interesting is that to anyone but me?
Bio
Dave Tahija
location: Butte, Montana, en route from San Francisco to Juneau
listening to: Train - Save me, San Francisco
registered: 1999.12.27
posts: 261
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Dave Tahija
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Dave Tahija bio
47 years; Butte, Montana; single; I wear my hair long and drive a �74 Dodge Dart.
Mining/Metallurgical Engineer
I used to work on the mining side more, digging things up in open pits or underground mines. Now, I mostly do hydrometallurgy which is either
1) dissolving metals like gold or copper out of rocks and then recovering the metal or
2) precipitating metals and things like arsenic from solution to clean up polluted water.
All very technical; I�m more a theorist than most engineers and more practical than most academics. I know a lot about arsenic and quite a bit about most other metals. I write reports and technical articles on this stuff; acid mine water and arsenic treatment particularly.
I don�t always have work in my field. Mining�s a conservative industry and I don�t fit in the corporate culture very well. Right now I�m making a few bucks working on a survey crew in North Idaho.
Other Than That
I like to travel. The past few years I have driven around most of the western interior U.S., avoiding cities and Interstate highways as best I can. I don�t like crowds but I like to see how different people live. I get along fine with small town folks although I don�t particularly like living in small towns.
Drugs And Stuff
In the 70�s, I did a lot of acid; in the 70�s and 80�s, I smoked a lot of dope. Haven�t done acid for 20 years, rarely smoke anymore. No moral conversion or anything, I just got tired of them. Been there, done that, the thrill is gone etc. etc. Don�t drink much any more either but that�s partly due to hangover intolerance.
Viet Nam Story
Yesterday I ran across my old Statement of Acceptability from the draft board, with it marked
2. FOUND NOT ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUCTION UNDER CURRENT STANDARDS
That was tough to get in 1972. I was # 55 in the draft lottery so I got called up for a physical on July 5. I had known my number was up since the previous summer, of course, so I was in intensive training all fall and winter - all the acid, alcohol and hemp I could get my hands on. And I took it to the limit on July 4, even doing speed which I always disliked. Everybody assured me that there was no way the Army wouldn�t take me, as by that time literally everybody and his brother had tried every dodge imaginable. If I had a discernible pulse, I was told, I was gone. To cut an ugly, although amusing in retrospect, episode short, conventional wisdom was wrong and I actually flunked the draft physical. They said I was too thin (6�0, 117 lbs) but I have to think the nausea, burned-out stare, hangover, long hair, irregular heartbeat, all that, helped some. I was told later all the other inductees hated me for flunking when they didn�t.
I wasn�t going in, no matter what. I had the bus schedule to Canada down cold and I was moving north if I passed my physical. A guy I knew growing up was the 2d Butte guy killed in Viet Nam. He was a few years older than me, real nice to us smaller kids, lived a half block down the street. He was killed by friendly artillery fire but the Army lied about it and said he drowned crossing a river. His buddy told his family the truth, naturally. Anyway, I figured one boy coming home in a box per street was enough and poor Westin filled the quota as far as I was concerned.
Still There?
Geez, is that enough? I could give you details about things like working 4200 feet underground or more on the draft or Utah cops or working with arsenic and cyanide at the same time and maybe some other adventures but how interesting is that to anyone but me?
47 years; Butte, Montana; single; I wear my hair long and drive a �74 Dodge Dart.
Mining/Metallurgical Engineer
I used to work on the mining side more, digging things up in open pits or underground mines. Now, I mostly do hydrometallurgy which is either
1) dissolving metals like gold or copper out of rocks and then recovering the metal or
2) precipitating metals and things like arsenic from solution to clean up polluted water.
All very technical; I�m more a theorist than most engineers and more practical than most academics. I know a lot about arsenic and quite a bit about most other metals. I write reports and technical articles on this stuff; acid mine water and arsenic treatment particularly.
I don�t always have work in my field. Mining�s a conservative industry and I don�t fit in the corporate culture very well. Right now I�m making a few bucks working on a survey crew in North Idaho.
Other Than That
I like to travel. The past few years I have driven around most of the western interior U.S., avoiding cities and Interstate highways as best I can. I don�t like crowds but I like to see how different people live. I get along fine with small town folks although I don�t particularly like living in small towns.
Drugs And Stuff
In the 70�s, I did a lot of acid; in the 70�s and 80�s, I smoked a lot of dope. Haven�t done acid for 20 years, rarely smoke anymore. No moral conversion or anything, I just got tired of them. Been there, done that, the thrill is gone etc. etc. Don�t drink much any more either but that�s partly due to hangover intolerance.
Viet Nam Story
Yesterday I ran across my old Statement of Acceptability from the draft board, with it marked
2. FOUND NOT ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUCTION UNDER CURRENT STANDARDS
That was tough to get in 1972. I was # 55 in the draft lottery so I got called up for a physical on July 5. I had known my number was up since the previous summer, of course, so I was in intensive training all fall and winter - all the acid, alcohol and hemp I could get my hands on. And I took it to the limit on July 4, even doing speed which I always disliked. Everybody assured me that there was no way the Army wouldn�t take me, as by that time literally everybody and his brother had tried every dodge imaginable. If I had a discernible pulse, I was told, I was gone. To cut an ugly, although amusing in retrospect, episode short, conventional wisdom was wrong and I actually flunked the draft physical. They said I was too thin (6�0, 117 lbs) but I have to think the nausea, burned-out stare, hangover, long hair, irregular heartbeat, all that, helped some. I was told later all the other inductees hated me for flunking when they didn�t.
I wasn�t going in, no matter what. I had the bus schedule to Canada down cold and I was moving north if I passed my physical. A guy I knew growing up was the 2d Butte guy killed in Viet Nam. He was a few years older than me, real nice to us smaller kids, lived a half block down the street. He was killed by friendly artillery fire but the Army lied about it and said he drowned crossing a river. His buddy told his family the truth, naturally. Anyway, I figured one boy coming home in a box per street was enough and poor Westin filled the quota as far as I was concerned.
Still There?
Geez, is that enough? I could give you details about things like working 4200 feet underground or more on the draft or Utah cops or working with arsenic and cyanide at the same time and maybe some other adventures but how interesting is that to anyone but me?
