sarge

Self-image can be a most curious phenomenon, especially when it contradicts what others see > darnitt!! I tried to make that 'clicky!'< -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

40 story...... i'd say hummmmmmmmm that would be a good delay..... *** YUP!!! Exactly! It just seems quearly like spotting. Time and space are motionless...simply distance frozen in time. Lower heights seem more real, more acute? . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

I don't know if its typical or rare or even something odd? I'd like to know too. I still remember as vividly as any memory that feeling of, "whoops! I almost fell outta this plane," on my first tandem jump when I lost my balance at the door! Weird... Never was, never have been afraid of heights. I was always and still am conscious, of how high up I am. But it is kinda weird again, that now, with several hundred jumps behind me, I visualize height in a static sense when I'm on a roof or something? Sometimes I see it as, "I'd start my flare here, or maybe just a bit lower? or my reserve could get out from here? Jumping is three dimensional though? Flying Falling is one dimesional, straight down . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

Ok, I think the Paladin Group has a newly released, "Homeland Security Fund" Hmmm, now this sounds interestingly tasty, since its design is based on industries that cover a four-corner smorgsborg of investment opportunities: prevention, reaction, coping and recovery (basically) During the Roosevelt era we know that the "New Deal" and the [other one] had no signifacant impact to improving our national economy. The solution??? RAISE TAXES, thats how. During the era of WW2 however, there was no world economy, there was the Dollar! The US dominated world trade in exports. That was the saving grace of the economy back then. Now, with the deficit growing ever larger we have an adminstration making tax-CUTS! Making promises of domestic/foriegn spending that are ridiculous, where's the $$ ? Johnson promised his pals that they would make a killing in vietnam; they did (no pun intended). As did everbody that invested in Rockwell, Boeing, etc... But the for the rest of the unfortunate taxpayers, what? Now on a grand scale this is a minor 'war' but recovery costs, interest on investvent, will far outweigh the entry costs, which will pale in comparison. . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

...wonder if I might sometime wake up with a rose on my pillow next to me? . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

Reservoir Dogs? Pulp Fiction? . >edited to correct title to: Reservoir dogs< -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

Seriously! Drink a lot ... have a sex a lot!!! Then sleep a lot with your rig,,, the time gently passes by, til... "OH! There goes gravity..." . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

My imagination is just askew??? ... was it a bizzarro kinky thing or did you like, barf in his hat? ...how the hell could meeting you be someones, "misfortune?" STEEE-EEVE...??????!!!!!???????? Answer-up dude! . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

Sounds like a common sentiment to want to have a s/o that shares your passion. Of course I do. My ex g/f fit right in (good mixer), she never jumped though because of medical reasons. It was more my issue, I couldn't stay focused with her around, ya know? I couldn't turn it off when she got bored with it. It did become a problem: ie. Money/time spent -- not on her... She found someone else to share their time and money with her eventually. lol!!! . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

UGH!! I was so not trying to stare at you when you were introduced, I heard (something) "Rose" and I was too embarrassed to ask again... what a delightful pleasure to make your acquaintance!!

It was cold and dreadfully overcast! The atmosphere was warm and cheery though! My son is 18, he's a Freshman at NorthEastern and if he'd drop his 'cool' act... ugh! I've been dragging around here-n-there for a few years, but no telling why he hates everything??? I think thats his mothers side? . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

Well I got there about noon today w/my son (still a latent jumper) and got to a few seminars. I missed yours Dr., sorry. My kid stood around mostly bored except for some of the eye-candy sauntering about. Besides that part and those related comments, he say's, "These [other] people are skydivers???" [referring to the cross-mix of age, gender, etc..] then, "these people are really 'into' this skydiving thing." and, "don't these people already know this stuff, I know you do, why are you here too?" (whole nuther convo) Ugh!! Kids! if we could weed them out at birth! >kidding< We left early, but not before I told him, "Look there's a couple people I haven't seen yet" So we're standing in the hangar watching people go to-and-fro, and he's looking at me kinda expectantly like I'm supposed to recognize somebody. When in fact I was standing there hoping someone would would recognize me... When, it happened!! SteveM walks up and says, "don't I know you from somewhere?" I say I don't know? and Steve says "I recognize you from somewhere?" ok, cut to the chase... another dz.com in-person union! Anyway, Steve tells me yeah, there are others here too! Then comes Greg and another guy (sorry) and Greg says, yeah, "Sunshines here" but he didn't know where she was at. He gives me a vague description and off I went dragging my kid with me on this quest to find sunshine on a cold cloudy Ottowa Il day... Then walks up Nathaniel, "hey you look familiar?" well anyway, he says. "thats Sunshine right there." Before you know it, Slowfaller, AndyMan and a couple other very cool dz.commers stood in a small circle united, in moments transcending technology; mysterious cyberspace and inet galaxies seemed akwardly displaced if only for those minutes as we Dz.commers had the shared experience of the tangible human component. (or at least thats how it went for me...) Thanks, long post, sorry. BUT! Sunshine, Please tell these people I really don't look like a "bloated Freddy Mercury" in real life!!!!!!! LOL!! . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

Geez! what a jerk! -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

Well its Friday (night) and im not jumping. I'll be there in the morning with my son,; maybe I can talk him into jumping...? Otherwise, I'll be looking for some some great food and seminars! . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

When you smile, you should take your hands out of your mouth! ... and shave that goatee!!! . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

Weird... why would anyone wanna jumps alone? lol!! >just kidding< Congrats! . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

Last spring, I had a nearly identical experience as your inquiry implies. I really liked the x-braces. I almost bought a velocity 109. I liked the xaos 21 and have no personal experience flying a vx, but I liked the way it 'seemed' to perform by watching it flown well/hearing about openings. I dumped my stiletto 120 and got a cf2 119 instead. Yours and my story are likely widely different, I have done 100+ jumps in a month, then 5-10 in the next 4-6 months... If knew I could consistently stay sharp on a fast x then I would have gotten the Velocity. Otherwise I considered, whats the sense? I liked my sweet spinetto; it was pretty reliable and predictable. I just didn't want to change mfg and size at the same time is why I finally decided on the C2. (Even though I came very close on the Velocity) my $.02 ; good luck, try some. The new Big Air sounds very nice !!! . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

I never had a skydiving dream that I can remember before reading this thread the other day? (wierd) But LAST NIGHT! ... I dreamt that manifest was telling me, "Sorry, all we have is the 182!!" I was Pissed because I could see the super otter hot on the apron with room on the load!? I kept arguing that I want on that load but [my ex-girlfriend] who was running manifest kept insisting there was no otter; only a 182!!! UGH!! So I run out on to the apron and everybody starts cheering!! (Sooo weird) but the problem was that I had to push start the plane to get it rolling and jump in just as it starts to lift off. Very Vivid. . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

Nigeria!!! is well known as an origin of notorious con scams etc... Especially in the law enforcement community including the FED level in the mid-west You think Publishers Clearinghouse has distribution???? These crews take, "YOU'VE BEEN SELECTED AS A WINNER OF ONE MILLION DOLLARS" to a whole new dimension! We've [law enforcement] been dealing with these >personal slander< Freaks for years, and they are untouchable! Sums of Binches operate without impunity, its laughable that they are as successful as they are. Saying they are third rate hustlers would be giving them wayyyy too much credit. . . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

Can't let those hose-heads have all the glory!! I'm in if it comes together. ...btw; anybody wanna lend me an rw suit? . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

"Doctor, we have a patient here seeking sanity?" "HMmmm??? well it appears she may be another one of those 'jumpitist' cases...? " "Ok !! Up her dose to ten jumps a week and set her up in the Gear section therapy group for at least four weeks!" "Diet of strictly barley and hopps in liquid form!" " Make sure she checks in to the talk-back often so we can monitor her progress!!" "Put AggieDave on this one.... my malpractice insurance is skyrocketing!!" . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

Doesn't anybody get 'sick-days' anymore? Geez! six weeks of vacation time, 12 sick-days...! I wish i had the $$$ to jump them all!!!!!! shit! . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

As a matter of fact I think this guy Bill W assisted in the development of the first parafoil designs developed with the intent of getting hungover jumpers beyond bone-breaking plfs... Thanks !! Now we have super ellips and x-braces... lol!!! . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

I'm not sure what you're asking because there are there are the, "Friends of Bill Skydivers" 12-steppers. Their ads run often in the mags... Then again, the "beer" tradition is not bound soley to the convention of alcoholic beverages. 'Beer' is truly a convention with heritage in our community but is by no means a neccessity of offering to the occasion celebrated. . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!

You guys are wild!! I totally dig it! Alright, now I'm glad I asked. I can definately impress her with, "la-Boobies???" hahhaha... I never thought of the the Spanish/English translator, ugh! Thanks. Enter a dimension of courting that passes any realm of romantisism that I have ever explored. It seems more than a challenge but almost threatening? Ya know,? My truest romantic expressions come from my heart, and it involves investment; exposure, vulnerability... I may be sucked in to the American Woman thing? But my internal hopeless romatic dreams of a woman like this 'Latin' woman like Kris et al describes. Devotion, loyalty, committment, family unity, respect, honor... Wild-Hot intimacy... Geez! she's gotten under my skin, but hmmph! what the hell is going on...???? she bugs me for so long, I give her my number and she calls once in a week??? . -- I'm done with the personally meaningful and philosophical sigs!!