SkyDaemon

If I recruit two more I get a toaster, I'll split it with you. Looking forward to seeing you again. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

In addition to many two way skydives, we've done a two way BASE jump...although one was enough... "You take a one and I'll take a three, that will give us plenty of..." :-) find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Now I have one more reason to admire Rand... ;-) -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Thanks man, this is cool stuff :-) Hope to see you there :-) -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Beautifully said Mark. :-) Cya there -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

You seem to care about this a lot actually... why? Why do you believe this? What information do you have the gives you this level of confidence of someone else's perspective and experience? The goal of many boogies and parties is to have a good time, not to necessarily accomplish anything skydiving related. I know many people who attend skydiving, BASE, rock climbing, rafting, and many other kinds of boogies/parties without actually participating. I've been to many boogies where the event was essentially cancelled to due to weather, government restrictions, and a variety of other reasons and the participants had a great time despite the lack of preplanned activity. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

It's great to know that there are those who will stand up for the servicemen who served in silence, who sacrificed freedoms for the defense of a nation they loved, only to arrive at the other side scorned by the people who've sat under the blanket of freedom those servicemen fought to provide. I'm sure the lost soldiers would much prefer the nation simply said 'thank you' and went on their way. My kind of bikers! :-) Semper Fi! -=Raistlin (USMC) find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

The purpose of individuals, with something in common, getting together as a group for a party tends to be to invite others to join in, have fun, facilitate dialog, and to get to know others as people and friends. I find it strange that others can find a reason to dislike a gathering they've been invited to. Especially when the purpose of the hosts have stated the purpose is to have a good time with peaceful individuals for something fun. I find it odd that someone can become angry because they received an invitation to a party. It says more about the recipient of the invitation than the sender. find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

The gay BASE jumpers I know have never done drag... I think our former friend set the record for that one. :-) And then there's Vic... ;-) -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

You have my vote :-) Now gitcherass over there! :-) -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Looking forward to seeing you there Krisanne :-) -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Looking forward to it :-) find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Seems to be the day for BASE jumpers to get hirt and make the news... :-| find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Haven't heard anything Spence... find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

50%? I'd dispute that ;-) Tacos and tequila for dinner? find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Thanks for your kind words. My sympathies go out to you and everyone who has lost someone close, finding way to endure such grief are difficult at best and impoosible at worst. Hopefully time to will provide the perspective to cherish the memories and dull the pain of the thorn of loss. I just got back from a road trip in Arizona, and took some of Josh's ashes off a small cliff overlooking a beautiful desert city. It was a true pleasure to have the opportunity to go on the road trip Josh had been talking about. He's right, the desert is a beautiful place, with plenty of opportunity to let the musty parts of the mind dry out and emerge clean. It's excellent to talk to others, thank you all again for your kind words. Be as well as you can, -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

My best wishes to three of you. You two are great people. Drink a scotch tonight. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Jaap, You're one of the good ones. :-) I'm off to Arizona (where Josh was heading prior to leaving us) for some much needed mind clearing in the desert. Let's do it next week. I have a new rig that will be perfect for it too. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Thanks... It's going to be a strange day. I leave to Arizona tonight.... someone once told me that the desert air is a good place to clear your mind. I hope all is well with you today. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

This is the one year anniversary since we lost Josh... I still miss him... -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

A please to meet you Beck. Today is a good day to meet. Thank you Rhonda :-) We could claim brother/sisterhood out of sheer will. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

It's been awhile, one year ago today, the world became one beautiful soul poorer, and the concept of 'in memory' shines loudly in my eyes reverberating with the same frequency as my heartbeart. This hasn't been an easy week for me, and I know there are others that feel the same way, as the life beat of my departed friend chimes away in my memory. Today is the marked day that the world lost one of it's good ones that we came to know, love, and make a part of our lives, and it was a year ago that the tragic news struck like a lightning bolt and shattered so many things. Although each day of this past year has been a baby step towards adjusting to living without him. It's a strange thing... it's been a year, and I haven't been able to talk to Josh, see him, smile with him, jump with him, or drink with him but I still remember him as such a vibrant part of my life, it seems strange that he's missed the past year and I've missed his. Almost as though we should talk any day now and catch up on what's happened, although when if I dialed his number, I'd get someone else, the line has been lost. That's a metaphor... Lost lines, the end of the line, the mark that was a defining influence, boundary and part of our lives. Jaye gave me a closing pin that's still around my neck and as the pins reads "Serenity". The concept is something beautiful finding peace and solace in a distant haven deep within the isolationist confines of the soul and heart. Josh taught us a lot about serenity, about finding that sense of balance and peace in the mind. About finding a sense of self in the chaos of the universe, and he'd bring out the best in those who were lucky enough to know him. One year... it seems like such long time ago, a different life, a different country, a different person, and in a different universe. I miss him... Here's to you my friend. In Loving Memory, -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Out of all the people here... You're the one I'd be proud most proud to be related to. (save the I am, of course) -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

This is a gross oversimplification of the situation that may be your mantra after your experience, but it's just a motto that makes you feel justified in painting a large portion of Americans with the same brush. I can understand this type of mentality, and without trying to name percentages or quote statistics or pretend that one can make gross statements about the psychology of a large group from all over the USA, your statement is grossly inaccurate. The military (like most large institutions, including most Fortune 500 companies) have policies and procedures in place that exist because they work and the overall organization benefits by having them. Your gripe that you may have seen a 'better' way of doing things, is a common one in both the military and industry. It's also commonly a gripe most uttered from those on the bottom of the pyramid. When someone joins the military they do so with the full understanding that they will be assimilated into the institution, much as employees are in the case of major corporations. The goal being to ensure that a large group can work cohesively and predictably. The chain of command and hierarchical leadership of such institutions exists so that projects of scale can be accomplished. Those who join such institutions do so knowing they will start at the bottom of the ladder. In order to climb the ladder they will have to work within the system. Anyone who thought otherwise wasn't thinking in the first place (and didn't read their contract at all). All organizations that involve people who are 'told what to do' involve people who 'tell them what to do'. The military has more rigid tools available to ensure that its members actually do this, however it's the basis of institutional life. Those who rise through the ranks become the individuals who's minds determine how the institution will be led and it is their hands on the helm. Those at the bottom of the pyramid are not asked to steer the institution any more often than a high school freshman is asked to teach the class. The hierarchy is very clear and obvious from the very beginning, and (for the past 20 years) those who participate do so voluntarily. Do those who take on their first job and start at the bottom "Like to be told what to do"?, Do students like to 'told what to think'? Do those who start their first business "like to follow government rules and regulations and pay taxes"? I understand the basis of your claim, however I think you've oversimplified the situation so much you've introduced a new level of error that distracts from your main point. You may want to rethink that point and phrase it less sharply as well as extend the respect to those who have risen through the ranks, endured the aspects of the situation that you couldn't stand, and moved ahead. Although on a personal note, I agree with you. I stayed in the USMC long enough to be promoted to a comfortable level and left in 2001. I have since made it a priority to eliminate participation in as many institutions as I can. Personally, I don't care for the way institutions do things, the way they (don't) work, the structure, the inflexibility, or the overall sterile nature of instituations, but I realize they're far more complex than meets the eye and can't be explained by a cliche that would fit on a bumper sticker. -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;

Semper Fi Devil Dog! I did a tour in the Corps and enjoyed it immensley. Entering was one of the hardest things I ever did. DEP, Category-P, Camp Pen, MOS training, and then years of being a rompin, stompin, blood thirsty, kill crazy United States Marine! Oo-rah! Leaving was also amazingly hard and the psychology involved in the re-enlistment/re-commissioning process still is a subject of conversation between my lover and I. The military can be viewed as your 'second set of parents'. They feed you, cloth you, give you a place to live, a spending allowance, take care of all those 'adult' things like taxes, insurance, etc for you, and you have your own little group of friends that you work/play with. It's scary to give up all that financial, social, and mental security to have to stand in the cold civilian sector all alone and to 'start over' from scratch as a civilian. In a world where your rank doesn't mean anything, and your rifle qualifications won't earn you a pay raise, and your ability to performance Drill and Ceremony or score a 300 on the PFT won't earn the respect or kindness or those around you. It's a walled garden and while it's very pretty inside, the activies within it don't translate to the outside world. Climbing over those walls can be a hard thing, especially when the carrot of 20years until retirement, MGI Bill, and all the other 'little' things they take care of for you are dangled in front of you. When I left the Corps, I went straight into the private sector with guns ablazing. My business partner and I turned up our business to full steam ahead and worked like mad to build a company. We built it to a point that it still paid for skydiving, good food, wine, mortgage, and plenty of other enjoyable luxuries. Remember the Corps doesn't make robots, the Marine Corps builds indestructable men, men without fear. Take those skills and hardcore attitudes into the civilian world accompanied by the discipline, ability to focus, and work hard and you'll find that the civilian world moves very slow compared to the Corps. That was probably the hardest thing to adjust to, was the ultra slow speed that the civilian world moves at. The breaking off from the government teat took about ten seconds and then the survival instincts kicked in and I was off and running. A bureaucracy is a bureucracy and you'll find them in the civilian world just like you did in the military, you'll find that people talk a big game, but rarely have what it takes to back it up, and you'll find that you -can- in fact build a great life in the private sector, land a good job/start a company and be successful by working at the speed and pace you're accustomed to. The military really wants you to believe that you need them, more than they need you, and that you lack the ability to be successful outside of their walled garden. It's all a tactic to get you to re-up. Once you leave, go full force into the private sector and you'll find opportunities substantially greater than anything the government could ever offer. I couldn't afford skydiving until I left the military, I had too many other projects I was doing, but now I can do them all and still skydive regularly. I'm smiling right now, because on my file cabinet is a USMC emblem right next to the logo of my first company. You'll do fine in the private sector and it's a much more pleasant place to be with more freedom and opportunities to be successful, even though it looks cold, uninviting, and like a step backwards are first. Just suck it up, take a deep breath and blaze into the civilian world. Hell, you even have a year to get your friends and family to help you polish your resume, start applying for job (so you get feedback) or if you're inclined to start meeting people to put together a business. With a year's time you could have something started and waiting for you, the minute you get your discharge papers. Semper Fi! -=Raistlin find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer;