OK, I HAVE REFRAINED FROM WRITING THIS POST, BUT I CAN'T HOLD OUT ANY LONGER. I am a huge Deadliest Catch fan. I have seen every episode, every After the Catch episode, and the Special: Behind the Scenes. I have visited the F/V Northwestern website, the Rollo website, and the Cornelia Marie website. I have emailed the guys of the F/V Northwestern. I even purchased a poster of the Northwestern and am contemplating decorating our entire office in crab fishing décor.

DOES THAT MAKE ME A NERD? A DORK? OBSESSED? Maybe, but who cares? Not me. I LOVE these guys. Somehow, I became totally infatuated with their way of life, their dedication to the task at hand, their sheer toughness and sense of adventure. And I cheer at the end of every fishing season when they show how much the deckhands made. In fact, I have even cried when guys died, or when Matt Bradley read a letter sent to him by a fan encouraging him in his battle against addiction.

YOU SEE, WHEN I NEED A BOOST OF CONFIDENCE, A "PICK YOURSELF UP, BUM!", OR A GENERAL KICK IN THE A$$, I can just look at a picture of what these guys do, and tell myself - "You Think YOUR Job is Tough? Gimme a break!" My job is a cakewalk compared to what these guys do every day (and night).

I mean, what do I do? I list properties for sale and rent, find renters and buyers and negotiate contracts. I manage 4 people who list, sell, rent and manage residential property. From time to time, I have to field an exceptionally angry owner or renter. I do some paperwork and accounting. What's so hard about that?

Granted, it's a very specialized line of work. There are good reasons why people pay us to manage their investment property. Sometimes we deal with people who won't pay their rent and we have to get the authorities involved and evict them. Sometimes we have to deal with people suing us or the owners or the tenants. Sometimes houses burn or flood or get damaged in windstorms. Sometimes people die in the house.

BUT COMPARED TO 40 FOOT WAVES, 100 MILE AN HOUR WINDS, 38 DEGREE WATER THAT CAN KILL YOU 4 MINUTES? My job is easy. Here are some cool links with descriptions. And, of course, some killer pics. Enjoy.

The official Discovery Channel Website - Great place to find out about all of the vessels, play the game, purchase DVDs.

The great F/V Northwestern - My all-time favorite crew. Meet the guys, see some pics, buy some stuff. You can even become an official "Hansenette".

The best Deadliest Catch pics I've seen - Really, really, good pics. Taken by crewmember Corey of the F/V Rollo. The only problem is that the site doesn't work with IE7. Bummer. I included some pics from this site below for your viewing pleasure. Corey's work has been on display at some major galleries.

The F/V Cornelia Marie - A great family boat. The dad is Cap'n and his two boys are deckhands. The site is new, but is going to get better.

Cool Pics:

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD YOUR OWN LINKS, AND PICS!