NorrinRadd

.... if you are ok with the 5 hour drive... Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

I like the Spanish slang, 'huevos'. Means eggs. That covers both genders nicely, I think. Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

My DZ offers them periodically. I suggest giving them a call. Skydive Burnaby http://www.skydiveburnaby.com/contact-page/ They are near Port Colborne. Edit: also try the dropzone tab above on this site: http://www.dropzone.com/dropzone/North_America/Canada/Ontario/ Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

Ah yes.. vitamin chocolate! Actually, it just sounded funny to me. Vitamin bug. Though, the two most important non-vitamin vitamins, in my opinion, are chocolate and vitamin beer. Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

I would actually like to try tarantula. I have heard from many sources that roasted tarantula tastes a lot like crab. I saw a documentary where kids in the Venezuela rainforest would collect them and roast them over a fire like marshmellows. Most kids I know don't like to eat things that they think taste bad, let alone go out and collect it and roast it. Of course, I think I would prefer it cooked than raw... and the grubs I tried were dried out. They tasted like dry snot. I think I too will pass on raw grubs. Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

Nope. But he did give me a pretty good evaluation, so that was something! Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

I and my GF are having fun trying bugs as food... chocolate covered ants, Hotlix scorpion suckers, dried grubs. So far only the ants have been actually good. Anyone else try any unusual food that they recommend and/or enjoyed? Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

Is that Pete? Yes! Yes it is! Great guy! Just... a bit of a height mismatch... Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

If you want to camp, for a little more money you can get an actual decent tent that will last you a few seasons. Why get a tissue paper, disposable walmart tent? I offer this advice because I have gone that route, and found after a few uses, I got leaks, broken zippers, snapped fly line hooks...nothing more frustrating than having a tent break down on you while you are still living in it. And decent tents really don't cost too much more. Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

Tats, piercings, and other decorative body mutilations have never been especially appealing to me. Pierced ears on women, for earrings, nah. Tats look ugly to me. Even the so called "artistic" ones. Fashion trends come and go. This one has hung in there longer than I expected. Yep. This 'trend' hasn't been around too long... just a few thousand years :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_tattooing Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

Do you also judge others based on their clothes? How about hair color, or possibly freckles or birthmarks? What about skin color or religion? I am not saying that you are a bigot or a racist, just that making judgments about others based on your perceptions is a slippery slope.... I am highly educated, well above average intelligence and very professional. I am also fully sleeved and have many other tattoos, yet you would judge me as trashy because of the art that I have chosen to put on my body, all of which you know absolutely nothing about. I guess that there are those that are so perfect that it makes it easy to pass judgement on others Oh...people that have tattoos do not care if you have tattoos and do not judge you for it It is a good way to weed out the judgmental people in your life :) I generally feel tattoos (that are well done) enhance the look of the person who has them. But I will not judge people who don't have any. Who am I to criticize what a person wants to do to themselves? I have a few. My latest is a Hammer of Thor, done in a traditional viking knotwork design, by a tattoo artist who's name is, coincidentally, Thor. And who was the bass guitarist for a local punk band, Bunchofuckingoofs. I have tattoos for decorative and symbolic purposes. Style and meaning. Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

Sure. They're an important and vital part of the world's ecosystem - just as, for example, you are. Anyhow, here are a few articles on this very subject: http://www.google.com/#q=what+place+do+mosquitoes+have+in+the+ecosystem&spell=1&sa=X&ei=clXjUdDRJ_ay4AOW8oDIDw&ved=0CCgQvwUoAA&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.48705608,d.dmg&fp=43343ac3cffa9ab0&biw=1024&bih=605 The articles you linked to all seem to reach the same conclusion, that, aside from being a food source for various other creatures, mosquitoes have no redeeming value and could be wiped from the face of the earth with no ill effects. Not sure how that translates to "an important and vital part of the world's ecosystem". jus' sayin' hopefully my lack of skydiving credentials is irrelevant to this particular issue. The level to which such a common species is important to the world's ecosystems is still not well known. Yes, they are food. But there could very well be other aspects to their existence, and involvement with the world at large, that biologists have not yet come across. Purposefully eliminating a species is not something that should be undertaken lightly. Perhaps a better approach would be finding a way to make malaria treatments and preventative measures easily and inexpensively available to developing countries and places where it is a threat. Malaria is, after all, a curable disease. Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

It is a lot like McCarthyism. Except that there is no actual focus on any particular group, like communists. It is just a general snooping. People have to stand up to government actions, question them, criticize them. The government needs to be accountable to the people it SERVES, not hold the people it "rules" accountable to them. Bravo to this guy for standing up. Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

I am in no position to offer criticism or advice. All I can say is that was awesome and I am really looking forward to finishing my own! Well done, sir! I would say I am a little jealous, but I am not really... should be finished mine in a couple months, if all goes to plan. Congratulations! Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

Yep. That is definitely the case for my DZ. I am almost at half price for my final tandem. And the tandems here are the second least expensive in the province. Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

Mosquitoes, just like all living organisms, do not exist to fill a purpose. They exist because they have evolved certain attributes which allows them to continue their own survival. That said, just like all other species, they have settled into a certain ecological niche. At the forefront, they are a very plentiful food source for many other species, such as birds, bats, and other insects. It has only been a recent thing that biologists step back from studying individual species, and look at how all life forms within any given biosphere are co-dependent. There still is a lot of work to be done in that field... and some of the answers may be surprising, when they come out. I go camping in the northern parts of Canada every once in a while. The mosquito populations there are insane. They can literally make you go crazy.... swarms of the little vampiric bastards are flying around in the bush. No repellant works 100%... you basically just have to get used to the fact that you will get bit You develop a tolerance and resistance to the itch. Eating certain foods makes you more attractive (like bananas) or less attractive (like garlic). I have tried avon's skin so soft, and up there all it does is ad a little spice to the mosquitoes' meal. No deterrent whatsoever. The absolute best repellant I have used had no deet in it at all. It has essential oils, instead: lavender, neem, catnip, and basil. I don't know if the buggers are tricked into thinking you are a bloodless salad or what, but I have seen tons of them literally land on me and then take of without biting. Neem is being seriously explored as a cheap repellant for use in malaria stricken countries, too. Edit: You can also buy vitamin B patches, that slowly releases vit B into your bloodstream. This makes you a lot less tasty, too. Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

Photo evidence. I am the bald guy in the blue suit. My TI is to my left. Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

lol I had that feeling too. But I still had fun, and the reduced number of jumps with 2 instructors takes up the cost. Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

I don't imagine their TIs are any more suicidal there than anywhere else... :P I would imagine that the TI would be fairly certain that their gear is good and that they know what they are doing. Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

Yesterday I finally did my second jump after a year hiatus (due to a back injury). The DZ I went to, where I intend to do my whole progression, has us do three tandems, one ground class, one jump with two instructors, 6 jumps with one instructor, and a 'graduation' jump. Unlike the first tandem, where I was essentially a joy-seeking passenger, this time they had me work and learn. I was given my own altimeter, to learn altitude awareness. After exit/arch, I did two 360 turns, 5 seconds of delta (slow with the drogue). At 6k, I did a wave off and opened the chute (he has his own handle, of course, as back up). He had me check the canopy, to make sure it was a good opening, then taught me how to locate the DZ, pick my approach, learn to locate an emergency landing spot in case one day I can't make it all the way to the DZ (dark green field here means corn, so... bad), eke out a bit of distance if needed, do flat turns, judge speed and distance. He had me check the windsock, taught me the upwind, cross wind and down wind legs, and how to land. All in all it was very fun, though I was focusing on learning and doing so much I didn't get a lot of chance to enjoy the scenery. Which I am fine with... I will have plenty of opportunity to do that once I know what the heck I am doing! My question is: is this sort of thing relatively common with other DZ's? Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

Did my jump yesterday (so happy to be back), with zero issues or pain. Woot! I had my physio therapist and doctor give me the go ahead. So now it is full steam ahead! Thanks again for all your advice! Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

It seems to me that just not having an app for your phone to buy crap on Ebay is a good step too. Walking along, then suddenly "Oh crap! I need to buy something on Ebay NOW!" *shrug* Seems kinda silly to me. Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

It's 'supposed' to be individualistic, but it sure seems like people love to put out blanket generalizations...... It might seem like more work, and people just seem to be unable to do it. But it really is easier, and gets real results and understanding if you just take people one at a time. Bang on. Once you let go of the notion of simple, and embrace the incredible, wonderful idea that the world and everyone in it are fantastically complex, things really begin to open up. Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

LOL!! Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

Goonieskid! You should come visit too! Perhaps you can find the answer to your question for yourself! Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?