NoShitThereIWas

Coolest airports I've flown into are Catalina Island which sits atop a mountain and the runway divides huge dropping cliffs on either side. You screw up that landing and you go SPLAT into the side of the mountain. Landing in the Florida Everglades was pretty cool. San Francisco has a pretty metropolitan, fairly futuristic airport, but I'll always have fond memories of Honolulu International where my old home is. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Jen is pulling out her dictionary to keep up with current thread ... calumniate. hmmm.... -to make false statements about; to slander, See synonyms at malign. So you learn something new every day here on DZ.com eh? Y'all have some vocabulary words way over my head and I'm 30! OK time for me to get out of the "super smart" thread ... Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Studly avatar Quatorze ... Firemen are cool. Yeah. Yeah. Firemen are cool. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Disorder Rating Information Paranoid: Low click for info Schizoid: Low click for info Schizotypal: Low click for info Antisocial: Low click for info Borderline: Low click for info Histrionic: Moderate click for info Narcissistic: Low click for info Avoidant: Low click for info Dependent: Low click for info Obsessive-Compulsive: Moderate click for info I guess I am not so nuts, but that first question, are you male or female ... I could just hear my BF saying well you are female, that automatically classifies you as "NUTZ" Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Aaaaah, Vinnie, I knew you would end up in Purgatory, one of my purest and most sin-less friends ... As a quick response to your PM, MO is great, I have finals all week through Thursday so that part sucks but after that it is all Blue skies ahead. I'll PM you back in greater length when I get a break from studying and I can write more. Miss ya Vinnie! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Yep, that's where I ended up, the 1st Level of Hell too. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Or will you end up in Purgatory? I have a final on Dante's Inferno tomorrow and was doing a little research on the Internet. I found the website: http://www.4degreez.com/misc/dante-inferno-test.mv and took the Dante's Inferno Test of Impurity, Sin and Damnation. This test is a little different than KingBunky's Hell Test posted a while ago. You can actually determine where you will end up according to Dante in this test. I thought it was pretty interesting and anyone who has read Inferno knows what I am talking about. Where would you end up? Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Lucky little bastards! Figures Rob was on the load! You all are awful lucky, that is one logbook entry that would be cool to have. I'm with Vinnie the Anvil (sniff, sniff) Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Umm... I thought adverbs had to end in -ly Anyway, I always appreciated that bumper sticker this guy Skip had on his locker. It suited him well and read "Fuck you you fucking fuck!" Somehow, just the thought of saying that to a few people right now is soooooo therapeutic. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Sweet pictures Mr. Freeze! I expect a full update on how cool it was to jump outta that bad boy! That looks like one helluvan airplane you lucky dog you! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I guess its nice to know that I am not the only one this has happened to. Can one technically classify this as a malfunction? I don't think so but it is something that could be enough to create a problem . This exact scenario happened to me the first time I tried out the Stiletto It happened a while back and I do believe the toggles were velcro toggles. I was wearing tacky gloves and my left index finger was caught in the brake line. My first instinct was to try and "pull my finger" out of it only to find myself radically spiraling and losing lots of altitude. So trying to pull my finger out wasn't working. Then I thought, if I pull down with equal force with both toggles, maybe I can use my other hand to help get my finger out. No luck. At that time I did not carry a hook knife and don't think I would have used it in an instance like that if I did (but good idea to whoever thought of that) all I could think about is how am I gonna get my damn finger out of this contraption. Cutting away was not a real good option for obvious reasons so I just tried to keep my toggle pressure balanced all the way to the ground working with the situation until I finally got my finger free. Afterwards I remembered thinking, good thing I didn't panic, it did catch me by surprise but I can see how panicking in a situation like that could make someone turn themselves into the ground. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Dude, For one thing, relax, breathe and take a deep breath. You seem to get way riled up over your posts and the posts of others and if you haven't noticed even though I wrote (IN MY OPINION) which I am entitled to that I think you have decent points, your manner of presenting them is bothersome. For one, Tonto was not asking about depression, he was asking about anti-depressants. For another, the doctor mentions having students fill out a USPA medical statement. I believe many DZs have students do this as part of the waiver. Another point, it is not our responsibility to know everything about a student medically nor is it our business unless it affects their ability to skydive. I stated that I was once on anti-depressants for about 4-5 months and have known many skydivers to be on anti-depressants and it has not affected their performance. Half of the time, I just jump with the students, manifest at the DZ usually takes care of the medical waivers, etc. I will generally ask questions like, are you feeling ready, or how are you feeling today. If I am teaching the FJC I gi into greater detail about their medical history and injuries. I will ask if they are taking any medications. Most of them say no. If they are lying, it is not my responsibility to go and look through their medical files to see if they are taking anti-depressants. As I said earlier, you raised some good points which will make me look at this situation in a different light, however your manner again in representing these points rubs me the very wrong way Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I have to agree with AndyMan here. I have taken students skydiving who were at risk to show them there is more to life. Skydiving was one of the greatest things I have done and whenever I feel depressed about things, jumping out of airplanes with my friends always cheers me up. One student comes to mind. He was going to check into a rehab and was having bouts of depression. He was 19 years old and his mom brought him out to learn to skydive since he had always wanted to. Her plan was to get him involved in things that would make him realize life is worth living for. He decided to start tandem and come back for AFF when he was done with his rehab. I think it is ridiculous to turn someone away from the sport simply because they are on anti-depressants. I don't know a single drop zone who doesn't have at least one question regarding health/drugs/medical issues. I have had to sign a waiver at every DZ stating there are no health or any other problems which would inhibit me to skydive. Our job as instructors is to make sure our students stay safe. If we get the feeling that someone is unsafe (for a good reason) and being on antidepressants is not one in my opinion, then that is a different story. If there is some obvious problem, no I don't think it is a wise decision to take them up. After I had my daughter I breastfed for 18 months and she was an on demand every 3 hour eater. I had MAJOR sleep deprivation for that long and my body's seratonin levels were way off. When I went to the doc, feeling all depressed he explained why to me and told me that my body would not recoup by itself without meds. I went on Zoloft for about 4-5 months until my seratonin levels were back to normal and I was back to feeling normal. Any time I had a chance or a break I skydived and NO, antidepressants did not make me a freak in the sky. They are there to help rebalance your body's chemistry, not make things worse. Now if I had a student of mine tell me that they were suicidal and were looking for new and creative ways to die, I would not take them skydiving because at that point I would feel like I need to step in. Otherwise, they signed the waiver attesting to the fact that they are GOOD TO GO. Ron, you have some good points but you are not a doctor and I think your attitude is borderline discriminatory. It is our job to make sure our students are safe to skydive. They instill trust in us as instructors and we instill trust in them to be honest. If they are not honest with us, they signed a waiver which releases us from that liability. That is it. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Wow, it sounds like the pressure is on by everyone else's response. I, too finished the 7 level jump course in 7 jumps. But if you don't, its really no biggie. I know people who it took 53 jumps to pass. Everyone assimilates information differently and skydiving was something I conformed to easily only because I was too scared to F--- up! Good Luck

Yeah, it sure would be nice to catch up with all you 'snore folk! I think I still owe Shark a hug too . Another trip to Cali? I am trying to get out there for the American Boogie so I can visit my NorCal buddies. I sure do miss them! You guys should try to come up for the boogie. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

NS, you say that like it's a bad thing....! Naaa, not a bad thing at all. I'm still waiting to one day give you a big hug. You are awesome to so many people in these forums and you are by far one of the most insightful and compassionate people I have never met Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

What beautiful women! On the outside and the inside. I don't know Nightingale but I read her posts and Michele and I already have a history. It is so nice to see a picture since I have never met either. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Congrats Chop, you have finally far surpassed me in jump numbers . How'd that happen? Anyway, glad to hear the news and dairy products are in order when I see you next Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Good luck RockyMountainHigh! Sounds like you have chosen to move on. Enjoy the journey. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

:4:0 I don't kiss and tell: 4 awesome 4 way jumps with my team: no beer owed Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Your profile says you have less than 1 jump? You must have more if you are already flying a Spectre. You are absolutely wise to listen to the instructor who told your friend that he would die under a Stiletto with 25 jumps. Especially if he is wingloading it. All I can say is . Some people don't listen and we end up reading about them in the Incident reports. To answer your question, me personally, I bought my first elliptical when I had around 80 jumps and I bought a Spectre 150 weighing about 125 pounds. My first jumps on that canopy were around jump #22 and I think that I was way too inexperienced to be flying that canopy with 22 jumps. However, I only did it twice and a friend of mine offered to let me try out her rig and canopy. (Brave soul) To me it felt like I came screaming in on both landings (compared to the F-111 175 sq. foot canopy I was used to flying). I started to get bored around 550 jumps and downsized to a Stiletto 135. I think the Stiletto at that size is a great canopy for my skill level. It flies much differently than my Spectre 150 did. I was thinking about this year downsizing to the 120 but because I didn't jump much over the winter, I am going to practice my accuracy and get a little more aggressive with this one for a while longer. I think I'll be happy with it for at least another 250 jumps. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

That is soooo cute! Are those your cats or was that a picture taken from another picture? I like Kitties. I have 2 but they have been staying with their grandparents in Cali. I'm thinkin about bringing them out to MO in June after the American Boogie. If I don't bring my female cat out during the summer, she'll be pissed as hell. She wasn't to keen on moving to California from Hawaii (spoiled cat). She'd really be pissed at me if I brought her to MO in the winter . She is an outdoor/indoor warm weather cat Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

YEAH! Now that's what I'M talkin about!!! Good job Lany. Why did they have to put those letters on that one guy's butt! That just ruined the picture! Thanks for keeping a poor little Missouri girl entertained Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Show me the Bootay! And Lany, you have a real nice Bootay and all, but I was thinking more along the lines of male bootay. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Deep fried scorpion??? Whoa ! I miss the LA restaurants. Never been to Typhoon, I moved from LA 8 years ago but my favorite places to eat were Chaya Venice in Venice, CA and of course Jerry's Famous Deli in Studio City