psuCory

A few more points on picking up a good tent... Find one that fits the climate in which you will be camping. Some tents are built for mountaineeringHeavy Duty Tent, which will keep you dry, but will resemble a sauna if you plan on using it in temperate (or warmer) climates. Meanwhile, a tent designed for warmer weather like mine -->My Walrus, is built to keep out rain and allow excess heat to vent off. Now there are a few more "extras" that you can look for. The one that was important to me while I was tent shopping was an extended rain fly. It is almost like a little porch roof above the door. Why is this important? Well, it gives you a place to keep your shoes - if they get muddy you really don't want to bring them inside the tent. The extra storage space is useful as well. Color... does it matter? Sure it does, a bright tent will be easier to pick out even through a beer induced fog , and will not heat up as fast on those sunny mornings... giving you a few more precious minutes of sleep.

:11: One lucky jump Thursday... running from the parking lot (turning on the Cypress) to the plane ... oh yea, 5 minute call for sunset load, I can do this. Jump suit over business suit sans jacket. Saturday 4, with the highlight of having Missy film a fun fun 3 way - thanks again Missy!! Sunday... wow lots of seriously hung over people . Another fun day; showing up at the crack of noon, and still managing to get 6 jumps in (thanks weather gods!). Cheers

Here is one more for blue and orange... it reeks of style

ummmm... oh wait there is more.. Ahhh ok, yes that is the propper 'Burger response . "Well we started out at Nick's.... and something about an angry bouncer... but I don't think the angry bouncer was at Nick's...."

Leaving... well like most of the younger people in the area, I went chasing jobs

Hey dude, Where abouts in Pgh did you come from? It's always fun to run into another 'burg resident (or former resident)... nobody else can properly understand why we leave/left the town Have fun!

2:13:0 (+2) Humps (1) 8000 ft of ice crystals, talk about motivation to stick your sit! (2) One packing error - step through (blame the packer! blame the packer! - shit, I'm the only one who has ever packed my rig . Note to self, don't do that again, it's kinda' a little scary. Nearly chopped, but the canopy was controllable so it was landed as is. Jumps Friday: One solo and one 2-way sit jumps. Saturday: 5 total, but... Freakin' weather. One hop-n-pop just to get into the air. A few low level jumps, solos and 2-way sits due to weather. One glorious full altitude 2-way sit. And then......... AAAAGH the painful ice jump. If you've felt it before you know what I mean, if you don't know... consider yourself lucky

It totally depends on mood for me... If I'm in a very relaxed mood, and going to do a relaxed jump, it's usually Dave Matthews. If however I'm in a more aggressive mood (which occurs more often) I get Drowning Pool - Bodies stuck in my head.

1:6:0 1: Missed sunset load by about 30 seconds on Wednesday... but, I got to catch some serious swooping action by the Red Bull competitors. 6: One post-work jump on Friday... after plowing through Houston traffic (a story unto itself - 30 miles in under 30 minutes during rush hour ) I called manifest at the highway exit to find that sunset load was on a 14 minute call. By the five minute call I was geared up (jumpsuit over business suit - sans tie - and ready to rock . A fun 2 way sit to kick off the weekend. Saturday was a blast, great weather, lots of people... loads filling up two and three in advance WHOOOO HOOOO the season looks like it is getting started finally. With the demand in full swing and one of the otters out at the Red Bull finals... I only managed 4, but they were all great. One solo sit to work on falling faster, one quasi 5 way sit, and two 2-ways (stability? wow that's new

:10:0 Finally a weekend of sun in Texas!!! Whooooo Hoooooo! Two great jumps after work on Friday, followed by a feast with the DZ crew (thanks guys!). Three fabulous jumps on Saturday, before the clouds rolled in and Safety Day started up in earnest. Finally a respectable 5 for Sunday... not bad considering we didn't show up at the DZ until well after Noon . Cheers Cory

FYI: don't dry the suit on high. The leg patch will begin to melt (not badly, just enough to cause a few small puckers).

Rhino, I just received a new set of risers for my Wings 3 weeks ago (switched from 18" to 22"), and the dive loops are located in the same position as those in Dave's picture. The bottom of the loops are (guestimating here) four inches lower than the top of the riser.

Here is a second for the shrink/washing trick. My suit (baggy, cotton as well) shrunk at least 1 inch over the belly, 2 inches over the chest, to a lesser extent but still noticeable in the inseam, arm, and vertically over the torso. So before you take a Kurupee to a seamstress/tailor/etc make sure it is done shrinking! Cory

Too late... caffenated

No no no no Tiff, You didn't mess that one up... I did

Remove one word, as I first read that statement, and it presents an amazing visual. "I have a dog. He's a nice dog, I like him. He's an East German Sheppard… very very disciplined. When he was a puppy I named him Stay. Come here Stay, come here Stay! . But he is older now… now when I call him he ignores me and keeps on typing.” Stephen Wright

Dude, with the weather looking like it does... hell, we may as well commiserate together . If we don’t do something to keep our minds off the sky, after this many bad weeks in a row, it is going to get ugly . Ok, uglier if you will. I believe last weekend we were within minutes of locating a round and putting all that excess wind to devious uses. Aggghhhh the weather days. Eventually the scene degrades to a flock of grounded sky-gazers milling around hopelessly, bovine-like, with barely perceptible sounds falling from mouths. Shortly followed spurts of turrets-like swearing at the weather gods, while the combined motion of the group increases twitch by twitch. Until finally, the tension reaches a pinnacle, something must be done! There must be somebody, somewhere on the DZ, whom we can abuse for the time being! God help the poor town should the jumpers actually leave the DZ, visiting their version of “fun” on the pitiful denizens enjoying a quiet weekend day. Be afraid, very afraid . Ok, wow, a bit carried away… Cheers Cory

Hey Rino, I jump a Wings and absolutely love it.... Granted I can only compare it to student gear and a G4 that I borrowed a few times. It was very comfortable when I first got it, and has become even more comfortable after a few jumps. In freefall I don't know it's there until pull time, and under canopy it is again very comfortable. Pricewise it is damn hard to beat. As for colors.... it is a damn pretty rig. Ladyskydiver saw it, and can attest to its beauty :) Cheers Cory

Hey Sheldon, What a great weekend already! A bit windy to start but whoooooo hooooooo yesterday rocked. Today looks like more of the same!

Thanks! Heh... I've been told time and time again that I don't quite qualify as a Texan yet (haven't lived here long enough :) As for things out in the open... hell, I don't hide much Cory

Hey Wendy, Ah the ever lovely SCR cerimony. I think I have almost recovered from that ... so I guess it's time to break out the video again. Have fun!!!!!!! Cory

Hey, I hit 7 words per hour quite often

The one and only Thanks for the welcome!

Sorry I couldn't help it... Ok, so I've been somewhat outed as a closet lurker and occasional poster and I couldn't put this off forever. Well maybe I could have, but what would be the fun in that? Count one more for the Houston team, frequenting (i.e. every weekend, holiday, and sick day) Skydive Spaceland and loving every minute of it. Ok, ok, ok, ok granted if you've seen me at the DZ you probably haven't heard me, as my personal BS meter will deafen me if it even hits 1 (get that shocked look of yer faces!). Yes, yes, I am a skydiver... Anyway... back to the important $hit. Who want's to jump? Have fun "yall" Cory

Hey there LadyS! It was great to see a new smiling face wandering about the DZ this weekend! Ok, let's be clear about this (as if the others haven't yet)... Get "yer" self back down here. There is never a short supply of fun people here, likewise there are never too many.