ZoneRat

"where's my wallet. I left it right here." Perception was that he left his wallet on the downstairs table. Reality is that it's actually on the upstairs dresser. Perception absolutely has an effect on reality though... because otherwise he woulda looked upstairs an hour earlier and not been reprimanded for being late to work that day. When you start saying things like "they perceived him to be X." Then it gets hard to discuss just 'cause of language. He is what he is. It is a reality that they perceived him as X. That perception effected how he was treated. But the two are different things. Related. But different. Or it may be that I've just mispercieved...

QuoteYeah, I didn't follow that either Quote Pre-ordained vs. non-preordained: I think of it this way. You put in a movie. The first time you watch it, the characters all seem to be making choices. What to say, where to go, grab the knife... whatever. But they don't really have free choice, cause the movie is already made. Every time you play it, it turns out the same. So. If fate exists, if life is pre-ordained, then we're like the characters in the movie. ***** What RevJim seems to be saying is this: Lets say you have 3 people sitting in a doctors office waiting for a routine physical. One gets up and get a coke from the nearby machine. Another starts flipping through a magazine. The third sits quietly in thought, staring at her shoe. The person got the coke because his personal history, his subconscious perhaps, tells him that coke is a familiar and safe thing, and will provide him with a pleasant activity besides just sitting. A good friend, if perceptive enough, could've even predicted he'd get that coke. He's seen him do that on other similar occasions. The person read the magazine, because well, that's just what people do in Dr.'s waiting rooms. That's what his mom did when he was little, and that what he's seen on tv, and that's just what he does. The person lost in thought is staring at her shoe thinking because she's worried about what she'll have to tell her husband if the test results come out unfavorably. She couldn't get a coke, cause her personal history sez that'll make her fat and besides, she thinks best when staring at her shoe... a habit she got when eating morning ceral as a kid absentmindingly pondering the day ahead. If I understand RevJim right, these people couldn't do anything else because their personal history only really allows for one choice Even acting unpredictably has a basis in personal history and pattern- only more convolulted. It's sort've like Plato's cave. You cant step outside your own thinking and history. **** and Turtle... That's my least favorite popular quote... Perception is NOT reality. Perception is an attempt to measure reality. Reality is reality... That help at all? “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

It's never happened to me, but once in a great while, I'll see a team member decide to carry some food or a water bottle onto the plane. You know... Back to backs all day. No time to eat. When they're done, they stick the stuff in their jumpsuit somewhere. (The bootie area seemed popular). Yeah. That water bottle or plastic fork would hurt like hell if it got loose in freefall. Prolly anything that might come loose in freefall would. Spare change or jewelry or whatever. So... I'd discourage that kinda thing. Also, it occurs to me as I sit here thinking that it might be useful to have the camera guy designated to follow gear down if there's a cutaway. That way you don't have 5 people zipping around a detached main. Plus he can film where it lands if he can't actually land there himself. Just a thought. Camera deploying at break-off rather than at team pull alt is generally recommended. If the camera has a smaller canopy than many of the team members, they should know he'll likely be fly through their pattern at some point. If I'm going to be making 4 copies of the days jumps, it improves the safety margin of the team to provide cued tapes and a couple cold ones... “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

I think Hook nailed it. You might also consider becoming the b to b marketing guy for the folk that make and sell equipment or supplies to the food service industry and/ or restaurants. Ever notice how crappy the articles are in the trade mags that litter your managers office? Could you write for those? Good, effective writing= solid critical thinking. Everyone wants to hire that. “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

Pretty sure you ARE alone on that one. lol... yeah... got just a wee bit burnt out at one point last season. I'm better now though. “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

Glad it didn't 'splode! Glaze, or paint? I bet you draw good. “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

Ahhh...I miss working with clay. High fire? low fire? Does the clay body have a little iron oxide in it? Really nice line work. I also really like how the neck twists a bit on the way up and gets kinda poochie where the scales are attached. Yeah. You should be proud of that. Hope it makes it through firing ok! :-) “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

No matter how tough or disappointing life might get, I can always find solace in the fact I was never a member of "Saxon". “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

Having the thought halfway through a skydive that you'd kinda rather be playing disc golf. “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

So that double mal vid rattled your cage a bit? If it'll make ya feel any better I can send you a tape containing hour after hour of boring, uneventful 4-way video. . “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

All right! Love ta have ya. Lemme know who all needs some bunk space reserved. Yeah. Last year JFU was this strange and wonderful thing. It kinda built itself, with people just kinda catchin' the spirit of it and helpin' out on thir own accord. Things just fell into place. Like Orly King. He was just passing through on his way to somewhere else...California I think. When he woke up that morning we were having a "boogie". Our DZO set him up with an L.O. slot for the day and he provided free coaching. That was just cool. Stuff like that happened all day. I'm curious to see how this year will turn out. Will it be anywhere near the same? Different but just as fun? Totally different? Not much fun? However it turns out, it'll be an interesting thing to see and think about. I'm really proud to be a part of it. I spend a lot of time trying to come up with quirky little things that will add to the vibe. Anyway... 'boom, you're in, man. :-) “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

Cool Dave, hope you can make it! Bring your sweetie and the rest of the crew if n' ya can. Last year I wanted to do a better job inviting staff from other DZ's, but It started to look like I'd under-prepared. And, in fact I had. I had 70 registered, made up 100 "boogie" bags...and still ended up about 30 short. Oh and Bryangoesboom... No worries. You'll get tons of group jumps in. Dallas is an easy DZ to jump at. Lots of landing room. Easy to spot from the air. Plenty of outs. Lots of folk who wanna help out the low-timers. I'll introduce ya around. (Last year David Little put together a quick and dirty video compellation of the JFU jumps... yeah, if you were to see that, you'd have no qualms about your skill level, lol...) Anyway... I got a Balloon for the "boogie". Not sure the actual jump cost yet, but best guess is $80.00-90.00. Sorta excited about that.

Take this with a grain of salt... I'm neither an instructor nor a guru....but if I were to teach someone just off student status how to track, I would break it down like this: 1. Pick an appropriate heading. 2. De-arch as though you wanted to go up. Roll your shoulders to cup your chest, and cup your belly. 3. Legs out... begin forward movement. (Stay de-arched during this). Feel the pressure on your lower legs. 4. Stay de-arched while you slowly transition your arms back to a flat track. Increase the pressure of the air on your legs. Really get 'em out there! 5. Be prepared to sacrifice your de-arch, etc, to maintain stability and heading control. Note that outside of altitude awareness, stability and heading control are the most important aspects involved. Staying flat is number 3. Practice every jump. By transitioning from a modified cup to a flat track, you save a lot of altitude commonly sacrificed by those that choose to go from a delta to a flat track. Also remember that a good flat track is a very physical action. Takes a tad more muscle than a lot of other things. You should feel the strength it takes to keep those legs straight. You should feel that you're really rolling those shoulders and cupping the chest and belly. As you improve, you'll get to where you can de-arch, turn and legs-out quickly with stability. Also you can tweak in your arms and bring your legs closer together... but much of that will come later. Anyway... this is just Robin Theory. This is not the way I was taught to flat track. It's just something I think makes sense. (but I'm wrong a lot, lol) ... so run it by people you know and trust and see what they think about it before you adopt any of it. Good luck with it! Robin “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

This is a little local DIY event we're throwin' together. It's like Customer Appreciation Day... but in reverse... Kinda. This'll explain it. So. If you happen to be around, feel free to drop by and play. (Especially staff members that would like a chance to take a day of serious fun jumpin')! It was an absolute blast last year :-) Lemme know! Robin “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

0.4.0 The happiest jump: I put together a little newbie 4-way. 1 with 160 jumps, 1 with 30-ish (this would be his second group jump) and another with maybe 50 jumps. The 30 jump guy, a lanky young college student, didn't own a jumpsuit and was jumping with a slightly alarming fuzzy fleece sweater. Luckily, the DZ staff had been cleaning out closets and were able to gift him with a nice slick nylon job. The dive was B,E,J. We took our time preping it. Rolled it on the boards. Put it in the mock up... On ride to alt, 30jump, nervous, dons his goggles about 5 minutes early- fogging them completely. I smiled inside as 50jump leans over and whispers some friendly advice about the fogging. Fantastic exit. About 1/4 rotation of spin. We're all looking at each other suprised. What the hell, I key the first point on the hill...and it didn't explode. They turned 10-points- all three earning their Falcon Awards... and not a-one fell down on landing :-) All in all. one of the more rewarding jumps I've experienced in a long time. “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

Late May fer me. Perhaps you can set up the inaugeral POPS Free Fly Big-way record... set the bar... looks like they've never had one before. You could launch a train with a few friends and get it. Why not? “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

huh. What're the odds? Right now I'm working on a website with part of your thread title in the url... not ready yet, but here's what I've got so far... Work Sucks Not to hijack your thread, but I could use a little feedback on it, even if it is still under construction...

The attached is from T-shirts.com You seen tuxedo shirts around I'm sure. If you visit novelty shops in the malls, anyplace you can buy gag gifts/ bachelor/ bachelorette party supplies, there's generally both tux and wedding dress T-shirts. Safe, inexpensive and quick. Just a thought. And... congrats! “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

My only criticism is that you landed on the fairway and not the green. Very heads-up skydiving. Great awareness. Solid decision making. Excellent recall. Yep. I'd jump with you any day.

I've had to cut back on some of my goals just 'cause a money. Goals I won't get to achieve are: • Forming a CReW rot' team for nats. (SDD has never sent a team to nats in CReW). • Texas State Record Goals I can achieve: • Flying video and coaching a rookie 4-way team (attached) • Organizing an informal 1-day "boogie" thingy like this one from last year: Just Fer Us • There's this cute brunette... “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

20-way hybrid? Dang, man. Must be a lot of talent in them thar hills. Naw. No PIA for me. Sounds cool, but tradeshows... ugh. I hate tradeshows... I mean... if PIA were at the Hefner mansion, maybe, but otherwise, they just aren't my cup of tea... The usual suspects from SDD are headin' down though, so you'll have plenty of folk to drink with. btw, PM me your current mailing address. I've got a box of stuff to send ya. “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

Hey! Happy 20th A, J!!! (Not that I would ever want to give any ideas to the Z-Hills folk, but golly, that sure sounds like a very pie-able event!) Perhaps yall can put together a commemorative Texas Star 20-way this weekend? Maybe crack a 20 year old bottle of scotch after that or sompin? Whatever ya do, "have fun, pull low, and spot for your freebag!" “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

The prettiest chic with the most money will fare best. She will have gotten tons of training/ attention the others didn't get. Or maybe not... Really the one that did best is the one that did a lot of sports in their past. They already know how to put their bodies in the proper position to achieve the desired results. Especially the ones that did form based sports like karate, jujitsu or ballet. Either that or the one that learned to relax first. That's the one that seemed like a natural- always smiling, with no mental barriers between them and success. Actually, the one that gets it is the one that wants it the most. Spends their nights daydreaming (visualizing) the perfect skydive. Spends their evenings watching jump video, painstakingly analyzing every frame. Seeks out coaches and asks the right questions, and LISTENS to the answers. Sets up a special bank account for tunnel time. Coached tunnel time... Actually the one that ends up best got her 500 jumps two years after the others. She had to pack on the weekends for jumps. She watched with envy the jump video of all the others. Listening quietly and closely to every critique. She could give the coaches critique herself, but no one would listen-owing her low jump numbers... Each jump she actually got to make was like a special, delicious gift to herself that she savored for weeks on end until the next one. or maybe it was someone else... Your question is a really interesting one. Does physical form matter? It must, to some extent. After all, it's a physical sport. But how much? My personal guess is... some, but not that much. To be a world champion you kinda gotta have the whole package I guess... and at the other end of the spectrum there can be those that never achieve any real understanding or skill... but at 500 jumps? At a mere 500 jumps I feel that the physical prowess of some could be easily be overtaken by a different set of contributing factors of others. Safety on the other hand... being able to not snap your ACL or MSL on that bad landing they had (we all have) between 0 and 500 jumps... that is definitely affected by athleticism. To be able to pack yourself on a 9 jump day and still be worth a damn on the formation load.... well... an overweight and out of shape housewife might struggle. Then again, with only 2.5-3 years in the sport, there's a hell of a lot I haven't seen yet. Probably the best one will be the one that did their entire student progresion in the tunnel... “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

That's exactly how I do it. I use the Accuracy trick on base and final both. On base, the spot will go up or down and I adjust my turn to final to compensate. The Accuracy trick is excellent, but as mentioned, traffic awareness and avoidance takes priority. Locking your vision on a spot for extended periods of time is ill advised. Head on a swivel, use the check for 3-4 sec's, head on a swivel. Great question! “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

Oldest friends gettin' hitched in Cabo San Lucas Sat. Flyin there tomorrow morn'. Anyone been? Any favorite spots? Yes... this should be fun... Much drunken revelry expected. “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”