AriWeil

The funny/sad thing (depending on your point of view) about this thread is, potentially 85% of the dz.com community is male, so that's around 19,800 men. And let's say half of them actively post - around 9,900. Now considering how many guys subscribe to this forum (potentially or in reality), and how often they post - or beg for women to post - boobs, you'd think they would be willing to reciprocate. Hell, you'd think they'd be gunning to post just to be able to at some point use the "I showed you mine, let's see yours" argument. Got stones?

Funny how it's the ones who don't post that are requesting others to bear more.

Do you have presonal firewall software or a popup stopping program installed? If so, either of these applications could be causing these messages to appear. There's a chance you have a stealthy IE plugin installed (happens more and more lately). If this is the case you might consider downloading and running Lavasoft AdAware www.lavasoftusa.com. One word of caution, if you have Kazaa installed and you choose to run the Lavasoft software, don't delete the Cydoor registry keys or Kazaa will cease to function. Hope this helps.

The last time I quit I started running like a madman every day. The cravings went away after a few weeks, and while I was running I kept telling myself, "This is only so difficult because you smoke you moron." Sounds stupid, but it helped. I was able to stay away from cigarettes for over a year, but then again, my job had me working from 8 am until anywhere between midnight and 3 am and I was going to the gym and running at 6:30 am. I didn't go to bars, and my smoking friends moved away, so it was pretty easy to resist temptation the few times I was around smokers. As soon as I moved to Chicago and started hanging out with smokers again, I started right back up. Good luck.

Yep, one more, and an Israeli to boot.

I don't think her issue was with who posted, it's the content. Of the countless booby-posts on TalkBack I think it's about time there was a thread of the real skydiving guys the sky chicks can enjoy.

LOL, beauty! I constantly stifle myself when someone uses the word ironic to describe an odd coincidence. However, the amount of effort necessary to explain the correct use of the word isn't warranted in most cases.

Amen. Be honest, don't skirt the issue. And considering this is a VERY public forum, how about considering who you're (indirectly) bashing - Jews - when you're laying down your little boy's lament.

I can't agree more. Catharsis or no, other than showing how men, and especially young men, can indeed fit the very unbecoming stereotype out there for being ignorant (see #4 and #5) and self-serving (#'s 1-10), I don't see the point. If you don't like her, break up with her. Otherwise you're not doing either one of you a favor, and you're just making yourself look bad.

I'm not. Your turn.

Lots of talking...but it sounds like these ladies are determined!

Let's change the thread to "show me yours and I'll show you mine." Anyone?

nar·cis·sism A psychological condition characterized by self-preoccupation, lack of empathy, and unconscious deficits in self-esteem. Nah...I'm a teddy bear with plenty of self-esteem. Curious there aren't more hairy guys posting after the great compliments flying around here. Maybe the theme should be expanded to include more than just chests?

Yeah, there are a few of us left that won't shave. Hey Brian, Princess talked me into posting this one, and no, I wasn't about to flex for the camera.

You probably will get a flood of replies to this question. I broke myself of that habit by clicking my heels together. That sensation should help you figure out where your feet are and adjust accordingly.

At this point a long response isn't warranted, the only question I would have is have you talked to your S&TA about your choices? Better to discuss this with him/her beforehand than be labeled a danger and/or grounded while you're exercising "caution" during your "conservative" learning process.

I think what some people are rather delicately trying to point out is that you have a newbie mentality when it comes to downsizing. I'm a newbie myself, with 87 jumps and just over a year's experience in the sport. Very early on, I kept hearing the things I wanted to hear from people (whether that's what they were trying to tell me or not). I was "a natural" who showed more progress than many and "got it." Thankfully a dear friend of mine and one of my mentors listened to the things I was saying and intervened - trying to make me see the flaws in my perception. Think about some of the things she had me think about: Have you had to land in high winds, no winds, cross wind, and down wind yet? Have you had to respond to someone cutting you off? What about going up on a load when the wind is going one way, only to see it's blowing 90 degrees the other way when you're coming in to land and everyone changed landing directions while you were setting up? What would you do? Do you have a plan yet? Have you practiced it to the point where it's become a reflex? You need to be honest with yourself - have you "wrung out" your canopy, really flying it and do you know how it will respond in any situation, or is it still flying you? Unfortunately I've witnessed a canopy collision that resulted in a fatality - the individuals involved were both experienced skydivers. You're still very new, and when it comes down to it, your learning curve could have an all too real effect on the people around you when you make a mistake. Are you willing to accept the tragic possibility that if you make a mistake while you're learning you could injure, paralyze or kill someone? What's it worth to you to push the limits beyond your ability in the name of living fast? I hope you get a lot out of the class, but I would offer you one of the best pieces of advice I've been given - take a step back, slow down, really think about what you're saying, and if you have any doubt whatsoever, hold off long enough to truly understand every aspect of the decision you're about to make.

How can you posit that you're "all for safety," yet state that you've boarded the plane while still gearing up, admit to not paying attention to whether your AAD is activated while packing - in fact saying "...I pack like shit" - then make the statement, "...if you KNEW you didn't have one (AAD), don't you think you would be a little more careful?" Whether an indivdual chooses to jump a rig equipped with an AAD, RSL or any other safety device should have no bearing on his or her attitude toward safety while the skydive is underway - be it in the plane, in freefall, or under canopy. Every skydiver has a reponsibility for his or her own safety as well as that of the individuals around them. The question of jumping an AAD is not one of proper procedure, but of personal preference. If it makes an individual more comfortable to have that safety device, and it leads to he or she staying more focused on the tasks at hand, all the better.

How about pointing out to him how he comes across? Pick someone at the DZ or some public figure and say, "See that jackass? THAT is how YOU come across!" Let him know he looks/sounds/acts like an idiot in ways he can observe and it might embarass him enough to make him think before he opens his mouth. If that doesn't work, I've seen negative feedback from the right females work wonders on peoples' personalities. ;-)

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Check out airtwardo's posts under "Skydiving History & Trivia: Scary stories from the old days?" He's got some great stories out there.

I'm just off student status and looking to purchase my first rig. After getting the seal of approval from three riggers, there is one final issue I'd like opinions about before I buy. The reserve has flown five times. I've asked the previous owner for the history behind each ride, but I'm wondering if I should be concerned about the integrity of the canopy. The rig had a reserve repack prior to it being put up for sale (roughly a month ago), but I was wondering if it's standard practice for riggers to really inspect the canopy closely for signs of wear or whether the canopy would show signs that the rigger could see. I'll know more details (hopefully) about the reserve rides soon, but I was hoping to get some tips as to what I should be looking for or asking. Thanks in advance.