PLFKING

Great pic ! I like seein' 'em.....it's good to put faces with the posters.......( who's the hottie you two guys picked up ?) DZ, I'm glad you made it home OK. I WOULD have had a pic.....but I ended up landing on the kid I gave the camera to (old habits die hard !) And Merrick....sorry things didn't work out on the N.C. thing.....I had my fingers crossed......it's good to see you up and around on that cast. When will you be able to fall out of a plane again ? Don

I was in the offices of our headquarters across the street from my office, and saw three co-workers huddled around the radio (about 8:55 am). They said an airplane had accidently hit the WTC. We were listening to a reporter describe the scene, then heard a scream, and the announcer said he couldn't believe it, but a second plane had just flown into the other tower. We had thought the first was an accident, but knew right at that moment that they had to be deliberate. I can't describe the hollowness I felt right then, and the sadness, and the anger. Our corporate offices are a large, wide-open space of cubicles, and usually there is a quiet din over the whole area.......but for about 15 minutes, all you could hear were the radios, and sniffling sounds, and see everyone walking around with long faces....it was very surreal and eerie. I went back to my office, and got my radio out of my drawer and plugged it in. All through the morning, people kept stopping by my desk, and just listened for several minutes, then wandered back out with shell-shocked looks on their faces. We didn't get much done that day at all. I hadn't felt that lost and saddened since the day the Challenger blew up during launch (was it '86? Has it been 15 years already ?) Don

I was confused also.....I think a private message is just that.....and the person sending it should feel comfortable that it remains so. It doesn't matter if the person is flying under false colors....he trusted someone enough to send it, and he didn't want it to be public knowledge..... By the way, Viking, when are you posting more pics of your Gumby-like arch ? I know at 42 I'll never be that agile, but I've known young ferrets that couldn't bend THAT much ! Don

J/K.....your nose is nowhere near THAT big ! My apologies....I'll spring for a beer or four if you're at Monroe next weekend...... Don

If you squint, and look out of the corner of your eye, the one on the right looks like Pyke..... Don

I'd agree. As an older brother, you display an amazing amount of restraint, even though we are constantly trying your patience. I would have gotten the belt out by now, and.... Don

"Pardon me, but would you know what Monica's doing these days, and how I could get in touch with her ?" I assured him that I didn't, and he commenced mumbling about how his life wasn't fun anymore, and that Hillary had stolen all the spark from his life. He then mentioned the fact that he was pursuing the deanship job at an all-female Swedish finishing school, and that his prospects looked excellent. "350 young women between the ages of 13-17" he said, with a sparkle in his eyes. "And if that falls through, I'm thinking of running for the governorship of Arkansas again. I was driving by the University of Arkansas campus last week, and noticed there were a LOT of sweet-looking young ladies, all fit and firm and in the prime of life. They would make great interns." 'Holy Shit!' I thought. "Does this guy EVER'......

Thanks, Om....thought it had to be something of that nature........ Don

lew....that is one HELL of a flash unit you have attached to the top of your helmet ! Btw, what is that line running from the bottom of the pic to the top ? (it's directly below the bridle of your PC). Is it something on your slider ? I don't have a collapsible.... Don

and don't forget Pammi and Merrick.....they're in there too.......

Not sure, but you mispelled "knowledge"....TWICE ! And you just got a new job at WHICH newspaper ? (haha !) And I'm drunk right now, but tomorrow, I'll be sober, and YOU still won't be able to spell ! (but that's okay -- Dave Barry can't spell either.....) Don

Way to go, Michele !! (clapping hands together enthusiastically) And thanks for letting us travel this road with you over the last few months...... Don

Hey Papa Smurf -- Have fun in Londontown, take these guys to a pub soon, and let me know if they still have the "B" girls there (something about bare-chested young lovelies in the daily papers has always fascinated me....) (gotta love those Brits -- they certainly have their priorities straight !). Don

I had RK on both eyes in '95....no problems at all while jumping. Since Lasix is an even less invasive surgery, I can't see it causing you any problems. ( "I can't SEE it"...get it?) (unfortunately, now you've gotten me worried about those Coke machines in freefall....I always thought they were relatively benign towards humans....) Don

Fred -- what they said.....RELAX ! I, too, did it the static-line way.....my 5- and 10-second delays were the worse thing anyone has ever seen in the entire history of the civilized world, so yours are definitely better. One of the cons of this particular stage in your progression is that you're not hitting "terminal" yet.....and you need that resistance to help maintain stability. You'll just have to grin and get through it. I had problems with chipping, until my JM told me to point my d*** (a part of the anatomy not found on women) to the dirt and let everything else blow back towards the sun.....this helps promote arching in the hips. I had no problems after that. And when checking your altimeter, just turn your wrist, and look from the corners of your eyes...this will keep everything symetrical. Above all else, just realize that flying is an unnatural thing for humans, and nobody gets it right without some trepidation along the way. Hell, look at me -- 8 stand-ups in 58 jumps now.....but I still enjoy the living shit out of every jump, and can't wait to go again. You, too, CAN do this ! Don

Yeah....you need to watch your wording on your titles....my thoughts ran along those lines also... Way to go ! I guess we can classify you as an "old-timer" now..... Don

Great minds think alike.....being in the same group as Jess and Grogs, I'll take that as a compliment..... Don

I've landed out 5 times.....on my first jump (wasn't hearing the radio, and landed in a median strip), 3 more due to bad spots (none of which were mine !) and last weekend (probably could have made it back, but wasn't sure...and there was this HUGE field below me..) Landing out doesn't have to be traumatic.....examine your intended area carefully, try like hell to find wind direction (penetration checks, treetops, ponds, etc.) and remember the direction to the nearest road ! Don

Gary Larson was the best ! I have my all-time favorite "Far Side" hanging on my corkboard at work... "You know you're having a bad day when...." .....a drawing of a skydiver throwing out, and a piano appears......then he pulls silver, and a boat anchor appears.... (no drawing of the landing, but I'm pretty sure he bounced.....) Don

Next time, tell him to stuff himself ! I've been ridiculed on a few occasions (asking for more pin checks when shuffling around in the Otter, landing far away from the peas because I didn't like the amount of traffic, taking an extra second to check the spot after others have jumped, pausing in the door for one second to check my hackey.....and one time for unpacking a packer's pack job because she twisted the risers, and I was worried about what ELSE she may have twisted !) I told them all the same thing....I don't think it's "stupid" or "pussy" for wanting to be as safe as I can, and if they don't like it, then keep your opinion to yourself....but if you wish to speak INTELLIGENTLY, then I'm all ears...... It is, after all, YOUR ass up there. Don

Congrats. M-Man.........it's a great feeling of accomplishment, isn't it ? How's your wife coming along in HER quest ? Don

Yeah, Bill....what they said ! I think one of the coolest things about this sport is the openess and sharing the old-timers give us new folk. The original attractiveness of this site to me was the vast wealth of knowledge at your fingertips, just lying there, waiting for some newbie to ask for it. It helped me a huge amount.... And the folks at the DZ...SUPER ! With very few RW jumps under my belt (and those with low-time jumpers such as myself), I got invited on my first four-way with some 1000+ jumpers yesterday, and it was fantastic ! Got our star, and the zig-zag, but when we moved to zipper I backslid too far and dropped about 15 feet below them, and by the time I got big and back up to them, we hit breakoff, so I tracked away....it was really a blast, however, and I was really grateful for the invite....thanks again, guys ! You long time jumpers and your willingness to help are one of the major reasons I keep coming back for more....along with the sheer thrill of the actual jumping ! (I'm still walking around with a huge grin....) Don

HAHAHAHAHA !!

Hey Anne (go Cards !) How embarassing is this ? 53 jumps, will get my "B" later today, and only 8 stand-ups.....I'm beginning to think I shouldn't have picked "PLFKING" when I started posting last summer......it has turned into a CURSE ! Don

Looks like "posting" isn't the only thing Spectre's addicted to... Don