FlyingRhenquest

Bah! It's not "West" unless someone drove a herd of cattle through there in a cheesy western! Kansas isn't so bad though, at least they didn't send you to Maine! Dad was stationed there back in the 70's when I was just learning to walk. All I remember of it was snow and ice. Mom says that's really all there was to remember of it. They kept sending the men off to other parts of the world for training, leaving the wives alone at home with their kids for months at a time. And back then you couldn't even get Prozac sprinkles for your Haagen Daaz! You might even find a sushi restaurant or two in town. I doubt anything there will compare with Seattle, but it's better than nothing! There should be some really fantastic beef available in the area too. If that January-February stretch ever gets to be too much you could book a flight to Curacao for a week or something. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

I sympathize. They were always sending Dad around to crazy places too. If you've never been out west before, it's going to take some getting used to, but try to stay upbeat about it. That's just how the service is. Maybe next time he can shoot for a post in the South Pacific. Is there a chance you can work at the base hospital? They look like they're big enough that they should have one. It might be worth checking to see if they use civilian contractors at all; maybe you can find a contracting company that can set you up. My guess would be "Spirit Defense." On Google maps you can zoom in all the way and look at the street level, too. That's a very useful tool for seeing what the neighborhood looks like. Turn on the satellite overlay, too. You can get a really good idea of the area by looking at the satellite imagery. Looking at the map, the hospital you found and two other medical centers are all within a few blocks from each other, and all very close to the airbase. If you settle in just north of the airbase, the base and all three hospitals should all be within about 10-15 minutes driving distance. I... wouldn't worry about traffic in Wichita... Google also says there's a dropzone there. Looks like they might be on the other side of the city from the base, though. That still shouldn't be that much of a drive, though. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Mmm a quick googling indicates that it does. Did she log her tandem? Or if she did it at the same dropzone and they have a record of it on the computer or something, maybe you can swing it. Just check with them when the day starts! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Really? Guess someone gave me some bad info then! Maybe it's because tandem students don't tend to log them... I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Nope, you still have to do at least 25. It can easily be more than that -- I did 5 hop and pops for a canopy class while on coach jumps, and ended up with 33 jumps before did my checkout jump. If you fail AFF levels, those can still count toward your A license, though. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Sweet! You gonna do some wind tunnel time before you go? Don't forget to breathe! I think I did my first 3 AFF jumps entirely without breathing. From like... the moment I got on the plane... Yeah... I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

I'm usually too conservative, if anything. Pre-flop any two cards can win, and I've thrown away the worst hands pre-flop only to see them flop a full house. Then I get into a situation where I haven't played a hand for 2 hours while the blinds chip away at me, and my only option is to go all-in on a mediocre hand and hope for the best. Only thing is the Casino's about an hour's drive up into the mountains, all the local free bar tournaments have dried up and I can't find a game online anymore. I could go play a tournament on the weekend, but I'd much rather go skydiving. It's not that much more expensive and it's way more fun! If I didn't have anything else, I could probably make a better living on 2/100 limit tables up at Blackhawk than I could flipping burgers. It would be the most stressful job I can imagine though, would still take 8 hours a day or more and one wrong move could wipe out the day's work. For the people who enjoy the lifestyle, that's great, but I'm actually too much of a slacker to make a really good poker player! The dealers up there seem to bring down some pretty decent cash from tips. That wouldn't be a bad job option either. It's just a little too customer-facing for my liking. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

I can be a decent poker player when I'm focused, but I tend to be an adrenaline junkie and a bit ADD. I've found that the better a poker player is (or thinks he is) the more likely it is he'll go on tilt if you make what he thinks is a bad call and win with it. I've donked Russ Carlson (who's been on the final table in televised tournaments) out of $60 tournaments up in Blackhawk a few times and and he goes stamping off while ranting about terrible players. Thing is, every time I've donked him off (And it really has only been a couple of times) he committed his chips on fairly weak hands. He called because he thought I was full of shit and I actually did have a decent drawing hands. I'm a sucker for 4 card flush draws, even though the odds say I'm going to lose those more often than I win. He thought he was clever and was setting a trap, but if he'd been patient for a bit he probably could have got me on a hand where I went all in from a position I couldn't beat him from. Like the song says, you got to know when to fold 'em too. Most players (including myself way too often) fall in love with a particular hand and just try to make something happen with it. That'll knock you out of a tournament faster than anything else. But putting an opponent on tilt is as good a strategy as anything else! Angry people tend to make more mistakes. So if you can push your BF's buttons early on in the next match, maybe you can take all his chips away from him early on (Which would serve him right for being a bad sport) and use them as leverage for another win! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

It was sunny and "nearly" 40 today here in Longmont. I only did one skydive this afternoon though -- I'm hedging my bets and hoping they'll fly the king air tomorrow. I'm all spoiled by, like, benches and a real door and a 15 minute ride to altitude and stuff. Jamming six dudes in the Cessna for half an hour is just uncouth! I did really need a skydive today, though. I'm glad to see I haven't forgotten how to land in the past couple weeks and I was grinning from ear to ear once I got back to earth. It might be two or three weeks between the intersection of reasonably nice days and when the dropzone is open during the winter. I really should count my blessings, though -- at least they ARE open all winter. If I can get to spring without having to flee south to stay current, I'll be pretty happy. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Sweet! I'm declaring myself the Pope of Discordianism and putting in for tax exempt status! Thanks, moderators! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

7:30 here and of COURSE the world didn't have the decency to end before it was time to get up for work. So it better not end before I take the afternoon off to go skydiving! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Huh, aren't you guys about to get a blizzard? Ok how about THIS for a plan: 1) Fly to Hawaii 2) Do a tandem there That sounds like fun to me! Actually my mid-term goal is to get into a wingsuit around 200 jumps in, get reasonably good at flying it, go to Hawaii and spend a week flying over it. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

I'm a bit sad about the Fade to Black this year. Given how tasty it was a couple years ago as a smoked porter or a year ago as a smoked chili porter (And the best chili beer I've ever had,) their decision to to go with a regular porter is a bit disappointing. If I wanted a porter, I'd get their Imperial Stout. At 13% ABV, that stuff will knock you on your ass in no time! And will be tasty and delicious while it does it! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

N/A

So you're saying that Discordianism is a religion? I can't wait to tell the guys! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

From the Principia Discordia: One day Mal-2 asked the messenger spirit Saint Gulik to approach the Goddess and request Her presence for some desperate advice. Shortly afterwards the radio came on by itself, and an ethereal female Voice said YES? "O! Eris! Blessed Mother of Man! Queen of Chaos! Daughter of Discord! Concubine of Confusion! O! Exquisite Lady, I beseech You to lift a heavy burden from my heart!" WHAT BOTHERS YOU, MAL? YOU DON'T SOUND WELL. "I am filled with fear and tormented with terrible visions of pain. Everywhere people are hurting one another, the planet is rampant with injustices, whole societies plunder groups of their own people, mothers imprison sons, children perish while brothers war. O, woe." WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH THAT, IF IT IS WHAT YOU WANT TO DO? "But nobody wants it! Everybody hates it." OH. WELL, THEN STOP. At which moment She turned herself into an aspirin commercial and left The Polyfather stranded alone with his species. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

I love how someone would post this, but not how they did coke 30 yrs ago! I'm an evil bastard, not a stupid one! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

I should probably pop over to the grocery store and buy like 40 pounds of kool aid and rat poison. I know I shouldn't be mean to the poor check-out clerks, but it's just TOO EASY! 'Course that shit'd probably get me on a terrorist watch list somewhere. Assuming posting here hasn't already done that. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Manifest prints a list of people on the skydive, and the guys who drive us to and from the landing zone make sure everyone gets back. They don't really do a roll call though, they just know everyone. It's still a good idea to carry a cell phone with you in case you land way far out. Most of our out landings are in one field or the other to the side of the landing area. In the one field, your punishment for landing out is having to land in cow shit. Hope you're good at stand up landings! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Ugh, I've seen those things on the ground and remember thinking it's a wonder they can fly at all. I've never seen a bird at more than a few hundred feet, though. There's really not much reason for them to go up there -- it'd just be that much harder to see food. Back on Oahu, though, there were some birds that used to do a migration every morning on the west side of the island. I'm not sure what they were, but they came from the mountain, must have been flying at several thousand feet and were HUGE. Those might be a problem if you happen to be doing a dawn skydive there. Though it might be kind of neat to try to flock with them for a while in a wingsuit... I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Oh shit! Well the world might as well just end, then. No sense in it continuing, if there's no beer to be had! Or maybe just go 'round and buy some more beer. Either one... I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Ugh Coors. I had a frat rat as a room mate my first year in college, so I had to learn to like dark beer if I wanted to put beer in the fridge in my room and hope to have any left on the weekend. So I pretty much started out with Guiness and went darker from there. I particularly like Old Nick's and Old Crustacean, which I think are classified as "Barley wine" and not beer. Against that backdrop, the parents found a bar in Florida that was offering a "free beer night," some years back, and asked me to meet up there. What they didn't mention was the "beer" was Coors light. I honestly couldn't taste the beer in it. It just tasted like soda water to me. I wanted my money back. Funnily enough I did an IT contract setting up the dog track in Galveston, Texas, back when they opened up. So I ended up staying at the Holiday Inn in Le Marque for a month. The only beer they had at the time was Coors Light, but the bartender had a lovely Irish accent and said she could do a pretty shamrock on a Guiness pour. Such a waste of talent... Happily, I live about a mile from the Left Hand brewery in Longmont. I found that taking a couple of half gallon growlers to the dropzone was inconvenient, but I'll often pick up their Mountain Mixer or a couple of six packs of sawtooth and bring them with me to Mile Hi. That works pretty well. Despite the snow yesterday, it looks like it should be pretty nice at Mile Hi all weekend, so I'm planning on taking off after lunch tomorrow and getting in as many jumps as I can before Sunday evening. So if you new folks stop by, ask if Bruce is around. There's a pretty good chance I'll bring beer, too! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Yeah kids these days... flying around over my lawn... 'Course my parents wouldn't have been able to afford tunnel time when I was young anyway, and they probably did have them some years back when I was younger, if I'd thought to go looking. Guess I'll just have to make do with what I've got now. I'm still a pretty awkward flier too, but I can actually see myself getting better. That's something, anyway. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Well it sounds like you're in a similar boat to me all around. You're thinking about how to fix it though, which I think is the correct attitude. If it's at all sunny on the weekend there should be more of a crowd there. Since you don't have to sit through ground school again, you should find it easier to just grab a couple instructors and get on a plane. Those two jumps I showed you were really the first ones where I was comfortable at the door. Before that, I didn't want to have anything to do with it. I tried to break down all the things that were bothering me before that. I think I was still very nervous about the unfamiliar equipment, still nervous about my parachute saving my life, and of course that Hollywood image of people getting sucked out of the door of the plane. Hey, at least you're not there in the summer, when they'd open the damn thing for cooling on the way up! I think it was their little game of "Freak the AFF student out." I wish I had gotten the video of my earlier jumps, the fear in my eyes is priceless. Funnily I didn't remember feeling as frightened as I looked! One of the problems I ran into is that the instructors didn't always have a lot of time to spend with me pre-jump, and I didn't know what questions to ask them even if we ended up standing around for 20 minutes. When one of them sat down and took me through the gear check on my rig, that really did help a lot. I got the basic one from ground school, but he went into a lot more detail on it. Taking the packing class really helped a lot too, though that was much later. You really start to learn your way around your equipment when you get into that level of detail. Yeah, that level 5 jump still makes me laugh. I'm glad to say my exit has gotten a lot better since then. It still took a while before I stopped tumbling head over heels a couple times on exit, but about half of those were intentional. Once you know how to get stable, it's kind of fun to get unstable for a while. Then you just arch and pop back to the correct fall position. It's like a magic trick. Took me a while to remember that on that level 5 jump, but I was yelling "ARCH M------" at myself from the first backflip! As far as I know, the next time they're likely to be flying is Friday afternoon. They'll probably be flying the Cessna that day, which is kind of fun all on its own. That'd probably be easier to exit for AFF, as well. A bit cold though, getting to altitude. If Friday looks good and you want to head over there, be sure to call them in advance and make sure they have AFF instructors available. If it's sunny and in the 40s on Friday I might be lurking around that day too -- It's been a couple weeks since my last skydive and I'm startin' to get itchy! The nice thing is your AFF and coach jumps will usually be more demanding than solo ones. So once you get those out of the way, your next jumps can be nice and relaxing. You'll get to do a couple of solo jumps right out of AFF just to get a feel for what it feels like to be on your own. That's something fun to look forward to! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Ugh I have GOT to learn to start looking at the dates on these! Maybe I should do some custom CSS to make them blink or something... I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?