CanuckInUSA

Wait for what? A flu shot? WTF do you know about what's happening north of the border? What an ignorant statement to make. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I'm just waiting to see what ManBird does a few weeks from now while some of us are out at the Ground Launch center in Bakersfield CA. But I can relate to the living in his car aspect as recently I found out that I do have a very comfortable bed setup in my '99 Jeep Wrangler. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

LOL ... I actually like your answer (too many judgemental people out there). But I doubt I'd do it. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Not to mention that the CDN $ is the strongest it's been in decades (thanks to the record deficit the US finds itself in). Hmmm ... what's a guy like me to do? The jumping (and WX) is better south of the border, but economically I might be better off in oil and gas rich Alberta right now. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Based on his recent health issues, yes I would say that Cheney is a candidate for the flu shots. And if the Kerry camp is complaining about this, then something is wrong (with them). I still hope GWB loses the election though. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Not long ago I got Kris (Nightingale) to make me a closing loop necklace and "I AM HAPPY WITH WHAT SHE MADE ME". Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

The only polls I believe are the official result polls after election day (hopefully 2004 will not be a repeat of 2000 and things won't drag on for weeks after election night). GWB may very well be re-elected prez and if he is, so be it, the American people have spoken. But I'm spectulating that there are tons of non-vocal, non-traditional, non-political types of people who will be voting this year for the first time and I'm speculating that many of them will NOT be voting for GWB (because of what he did in Iraq). So it'll be interesting to see who actually wins. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Between "Dazed and Confused" and "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" you guys are making me have flash backs to my youth. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Hi Angela Don't let those Cypres threads get to you. Besides not being protected against a potential freefall collision, you don't need to turn yours on when you jump. In fact you've made enough jumps without one that one shouldn't need to worry about you as to whether or not you would pull. I think you'll do fine. Also, I find too many people have been judgemental in those threads without any regard as to what they would do when push came to shove and they were forced low (for whatever reason). I never knew there were that many perfect skydivers in the world. But there's obviously enough of them out there tell us that they are perfect and uncapable of making mistakes and not afraid to tell those who have made mistakes that they aren't cut out for this sport. I think I'll go BASE jumping now where my AAD is the ground (hope I never use it) and I don't have to worry about opinionated skydivers. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I look outside today and all I see is sunny skies. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Wow I actually watched a baseball game for the first time this year last night. Go Red-Soxs!!! Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Yup. Wolfowitz (sp?) if I'm not mistaken. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I'm guessing that you're one of those close minded types of people who refused to watch F-911 (maybe I'm wrong, maybe you have seen it). But in the F-911 movie there is a similar but an even more hilarious scene where a republican policitican (who is one god-aweful ugly creature) is trying to look pretty for the cameras. What does this sort of shit have to do with whether someone is qualified for the job at hand? Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

You missed an option in your poll. Another option should be "Yes, but only your main came out". But because that option didn't exist, I had to vote for the "two out option". Now I just know some of you ######## out there are just dying to judge me (comments not directed at AndyMan) and for those of you who are quick to judge, here's my finger ... and my story. In the Spring of 2003 when I had in the neighborhood of 200 or so jumps I was doing a solo head down freefly jump. For what ever reason I passed through my ProTrack break off altitude of 4500 feet without hearing the warning beep, but I was watching the horizon all the way and had every intention of transitioning to my belly. So when my 3000 foot ProTrack pull altitude warning went off, I transitioned to my belly. But I was hauling ass and it only took about 2 1/2 seconds to go from 3000 feet to 2300 feet. At 2300 feet AGL I can be seen on video waving off and pitching my main canopy and my main (a Sabre2 170 at the time) opened in it's usual snivelly way. But at the very tail end of the snivel I must have passed through 1200 feet and you can hear a click (as if someone snapped their fingers) on the video and I can only assume that this was my Cypres firing while I was deep in the saddle. Unknown to myself at the time, the reserve bridle and PC was dangling out of my container but the reserve did not come out and I proceeded to land my main canopy with this reserve bridle and PC dangling from the container (and yes I know I am lucky that the shit didn't hit the fan as I performed a 180 front riser landing with this configuration). I knew that I had fucked up in that I went lower than I should have been, but I still thought that deploying my main canopy in the 2k region, that I would be fine (once again it is all on video showing me wave off at 2300 feet and likely pitching the main PC in the 1900-2000 foot range). But because of the speed in which I was travelling (coming off of a head down jump) and the fact that this happened in the rarified air of Colorado, my Cypres fired. As to why the reserve never came out of the container, well the answer is two fold. I was deep in the saddle when the Cypres fired and the reserve at the time was considered tight for the container (a new reserve one size smaller was purchased afterwards, plus I no longer own this container anyway). Did I fuck up? Hell ya!!! Techinically I did lose altitude awareness despite the fact that I was watching the horizon the entire way. But at 200 jumps (or whatever I had at the time) I didn't have the experience to recognize what 3000 feet and 45000 feet looked like despite the fact that I thought I did at the time. Did I learn a lesson? Of course I did? Did I get grounded? Technically no, but I was talked to by one of the DZs more experienced freefliers and since this incident happened on a Saturday, the local rigger decided upon themselves to ground me by not repacking my reserve until Monday. So in essence I was grounded by the DZ. Now in my closing thought I have a couple of things to say to all you ######## who are quick to judge me: 1) This incident happened a long time ago (500-600 jumps ago) and I am a different person now than I was back then. Back then I always wanted to jump my AAD turned on. But if you can believe it, nowadays I do jumps (hop n' pops and solo wingsuit dives) where I purposely have the AAD turned off. In fact I didn't jump at all this last weekend with my AAD turned on (9 hop n' pops and one solo wingsuit dive). 2) I'm beginning to like hanging around BASE jumpers more than skydivers. Now I don't want you to get alarmed as I still like to skydive. But if I fuck up in the BASE jumping world (and survive), I know my BASE jumping peers will talk to me. But they won't judge me the way skydivers like to judge people and you know they aren't going to try and ground me, because they know they can't ground me. So to all you higher than holy judgemental skydivers who are uncapable of making mistakes, here's my finger ... I'd like to see what you would do at 2k. And to the rest of the non-judgemental types, if you ever find yourself coming off of a head down jump at 2k in Colorado, go for silver instead of your main PC. The 750 foot Cypres altitude everyone hears of is when you are belly to earth. The Cypres will fire much higher (1000-1200 foot range) if your are feet first, head first or even on your back. AADs are great for saving skydivers lives when free fall collisions occur, but they should not be relied upon for much else. If you have a medical condition where you blacked out and the Cypres saved your life, count yourself lucky. But should you really have been jumping in the first place? And when I'm BASE jumping, my AAD is the ground. I just hope I never use it. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I'm under the impression that the Rock Dragon will perform very much like a FLiK and a Black Jack would. But I could be wrong. All I've ever flown to date has been my FLiK (which I am happy with). But unless I'm mistaken, isn't the Rock Dragon, FLiK and Black Jack canopies all very close in design? I'm also curious to see what will happen with BR's line of products as well as Vertigo's line of products now that the two companies have merged. Maybe someone from BR or Vertigo will see this and keep us updated. When I find some free $$$ lying around the house (something which may not happen for a while due to current and up and coming expenditures), I would love to put together a 2nd rig and I'm not 100% certain what this 2nd rig would be made up of yet. I am happy with my BR gear, but I also understand that many of the other manufacturers also make good kits. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Tell him to visit the grasmick.com website. It's got tons of immigration and taxation advice geared towards Canadians in the USA. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

From an airplane point of view, simulators are great for Instrument Flight Rules training. But similators don't teach you how to land. So I can't see a skydiving simulator helping you towards learning how to fly a canopy. But that's just my opinion. Maybe others feel different. Now if you just want to have a little fun, doesn't the latest Microsoft Flight Simulator have some BASE jumper add-on? Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I would think that it would be Skydive Ogden in Utah. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Know anyone who jumps a black and red rig? How about a black and red canopy to go along with that black and red rig? Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

There must be some kinds of exceptions. How is it that Jay Moleski can compete when he's not a Yank? Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Moab? Twin Falls? Yosemite? Go-Fast Games 2005 in Canon City? Northern CA? None ... or all of the above? Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I threw away my handles last year during my malfunction in Eloy. Then on the ground I was talking to Bryan Burke about the incident and I told him that I did exactly what I had been rehearsing for the last couple of years, and that I was happy with everything except that I threw away my handles. And his response to me (which I thought was brilliant) was: "Next time rehearse holding on to your handles". So it remains to be seen what I will do the next time I need to cutaway, but thanks to Bryan Burke, I am now rehearsing holding on to my handles every time I do my practice EPs. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I'm sure Faber will also be getting in touch with many of us here before he comes to North America as I some how suspect I know some of the sites he's already planning on visiting (all having to do with some fixed object exit points). So depending upon what some of us are doing at the time that Faber is visiting, he will be able to hang out with us, maybe stay with us and of course jump with us. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I know how you feel. I'm still not 100%, but last Sunday and Monday I was suffering with a fever, headache and body aches all thanks to the flu bug. Being sick sucks!!! Hey didn't I just this only a few short days ago. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

If you can get your hands on the right sort of vehicle, you could always use that to sleep in. I don't do it often, but I have slept in my car at the Perrine Bridge's visitors center as well as some other select locations. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over