skybytch

There are truck stops and rest areas for truckers. I didn't whine about the one parked next to us at a rest area and we didn't even try to sleep at a truck stop. Those are their places, they have jobs to do, I respect that. WalMarts are not truck parking areas, they are stores that allow RVs and trucks to park overnight. Some only allow RVs because hey guess what, trucks are loud. At this particlular WalMart - not rest area with truck parking, not Love's or Flying J truck stop - there was a shit ton of space on the other side of the parking lot... where all the other trucks with drivers who weren't complete dickwads were parked. . Park somewhere else? I parked all the way across the lot from the trucks, I'm sound asleep, it's 2 am and you pull in next to me with your fucked up reefer unit cycling every three minutes and I'm supposed to move? Fuck that. Want respect? Show some.

Wow, taking pictures of one's feet outside a moving vehicle and then posting them on the interwebs is copyrighted? Sure hope I don't get sued for doing what I've been doing since at least 2008. And here I thought I was just entertaining myself on a long drive. Is not knowing who or what a Nerdgirl is an acceptable defense?

We did! Driving the back roads was really cool. And some really nice people - needed subtitles to understand them at times, but really nice.

Damn it!! If I'd known... I wanted to go around and up to Tulsa anyway, there's so much Route 66 stuff along that route. We'll be back. :D

We are kinda into pinball. Played a fun game at a pinball event last month - Black Knight Sword of Rage. We already have the original Black Knight (circa 1980); SOR came out in 2019 and is the third in the BK series (the other one came out in the late 1990's - Black Knight 2000). We kinda liked it. Like, so much that even though we swore we didn't need another game and we didn't want to buy a newer game cuz new games suck, we started looking for one. There were none nearby, but I found one at a good price and it was only 2650 miles away in North Carolina. I heard that the leaves are pretty there this time of year and we didn't get a vacation last year and we are both impulsive as all hell, so I contacted the guy. He thought it was a fun idea and wanted to play along so he was willing to hold it for us to get there. Hubby got the time off work, we planned some cool stops along the way, hooked up the trailer and 10 days after contacting the guy, we were eastbound. I40 from Barstow to Little Rock, a bunch of side roads down to Fordyce, Arkansas, more side roads into Alabama and Georgia, Chattanooga to see Lookout Mountain battlefield park, then up to Asheville, N.C. The drive home was I40 west all the way from Asheville back to California. Stayed at one motel (Russellville, Alabama) and two nights at an RV park (Asheville); every other night was either in a rest area or a WalMart parking lot. Trip tidbits - There were at least 5 trucks to every car on I40 between Barstow and Oklahoma City. Route 66 has some fun and free things to stop and look at. It is impossible to see the 7 cool places you planned to see when you have 10 days to drive over 5200 miles, so we had to be happy with seeing an old friend (Lindsey - dz.commer from way back) and a Civil War battlefield instead of the Jack Daniels distillery, a National Park, an old friend, a pinball museum, a presidential library and two Civil War battlefields. Always put new tires on your travel trailer before leaving for a 5200 mile trip so you don't have to replace them all, one at a time, along the way. North Carolina apple cider is out of this world delicious. We ran out of superlatives seeing the autumn colors.in the Smoky Mountains. The people we bought the machine from had 10 others in their basement arcade - had to sell it because they didn't have room for it anymore. Truckers with refrigeration units who park right next to RV's in WalMart parking lots overnight are assholes. So was the new toy worth the trip? Ummm... yeah..... Check it out! Would we do it again? If we could take 3 weeks instead of 10 (okay, 11) days, absolutely. The really bad part of the trip was driving by so much cool stuff, especially after hours long delays caused by road work or truck accidents that took time we could have spent stopping there. TL;DR Drove 5300 miles round trip to buy a pinball machine that we could have found within a couple hundred miles from home because we are impatient and impulsive and we would do it again. Here's some pictures.

And that's a good thing. But there are no BSRs regarding tandems and high altitude jumps, where the margins for error are much much much thinner and the consequences could be much more severe. Why not? Should there be? Should tandems be up there period? Is that too much responsibility and workload on the TI? Are there just too many variables to be taking non-skydivers into that environment? Or is it worth it for the money?

Of course I am making assumptions. Tandems from 41k were advertised at $100k. At least one tandem passenger was on a load at 41k. Seems reasonable to assume that the passenger paid for the jump. Not many experienced jumpers would pay to do a tandem ride, even for a special jump like this, especially when they could easily get a waiver for (or ignore) the D license requirement. Seems reasonable to assume the passenger was not an experienced jumper. Considering who the TI was, I have to assume the training was top notch. If you couldn't tell, I'm not a fan of high altitude tandems, period. If O2 is required out the door, tandems shouldn't be there. Extraordinary skydives should be done by people extremely comfortable with skydiving, not by people relying on someone else to save their life.

The point isnt that the passenger was ok. The point is that the passenger was really fucking close to dying a really fucking horrible death - even more horrible than your everyday average tandem fatality. They paid a tremendous amount of money to have someone keep them safe and alive while they got their super duper extreme adventure and claim to being "the first". It's Disneyland not Death Valley! But, hey at least they were the first tandem passenger to pass out at 41k and not get to jump... If it's okay to take whuffos to extreme altitudes if they are informed of the risks, then why have rules like no turns over 90 on final for tandems? Passenger signed a waiver, they want the adventure, they should be given what they want regardless of the risk to them, the sport, the dz... Nobody gonna sue. They were informed, they signed a waiver. <eyeroll> This. This. This. This.

I know some folks who might be interested. What are you paying?

It's somewhat infuriating as now my fence is falling down.

Who needs Bezos and Musk when we have the power of the federal deficit behind us? Run it down to Texas and then bring it across NM and Arizona. Much lower mountains and far more potential customers along the route.

Well that's a waste. We need an intercontinental canal. You've got plenty, you won't mind sending some west, right? Then SoCal can have their lawns and pools and fire hydrants. The rural West will continue to burn, but we don't count anyway as long as urban and suburban residents are taken care of. Damn, drifting my own thread again....

Masks are already required again in many places. Cases are spiking again in many places, especially areas with low vaccination rates (like the rural county I live in). Gonna be interesting to see what happens. I'm going back to wearing the mask if I have to go out. Lucky for me, I don't have to leave the property often.

I live in the foothills now. It's a different kind of California up here.

Sell everything south of Bakersfield. It's all a wasteland anyway.

I slipped and fell getting out of the shower! I don't know where that bottle came from! I'm in a mood today too. Wanna go stand in the yard and yell at the kids to stay the fuck off it? I'll bring the beer. I know my argument has a big hole in it considering that skydivers use insurance to pay for their injuries sustained jumping, but jumping isnt endangering large sectors of the population, most especially at this point those who can't be vaccinated due to age (children... what about the children?!?) or being immunocompromised ( fuck them, they're gonna die soon anyway).

I know it's only Darwinism if they die before they can procreate but it made for a good click baity title. Was reading this morning that the CDC is saying vaccinated people who are infected with Delta have as much virus in their nose as non-vaccinated people. So if I, as a vaccinated person, get infected and don't wear a mask in public, I can infect lots of unvaccinated people while not worrying too much about ill effects from the virus myself. Since I am far less likely to need medical care due to COVID since I got the free vaccine, I think that any medical care needed for COVID related problems should only be covered by insurance for those who are vaccinated. Choose not to get the shot? Pay for any needed medical care related to getting COVID on your own dime. Why should MY premiums go up because YOU chose not to avail yourself of a free vaccine? No need for mandates. Freedom of choice. Choose to get vaccinated or choose to go broke if you get the virus. And those who are vaccinated can help you get there just by doing what you say everyone has a right to do - not wear a mask. I don't see how any right minded individual who believes in freedom, capitalism and the American Way could disagree with that.

Good to see your username again. What's new?

There is a reason for everything you were taught. A less than ideal flare can mean landing with a bit (or a lot) more forward or downward speed than is ideal. PLFs make less than ideal flares less likely to cause pain and crutches and such. Those with very few jumps often perform less than ideal flares. Thus, your instructor wants you to PLF... so you'll walk back to the packing area ready for level 2. It's a skill that you will find useful throughout your skydiving career. Not every landing can or should be stood up or run out. Enjoy your first jump!

Nice picture. Might want to shorten up that closing loop. What did Aerodyne have to say about this?

Thats a hesitation. A total is when nothing launches. Can't tell much since the video is from the front. From the side would be way more useful. A hesitation on the bench does not mean it will hesitate in freefall. Freefall is not static like laying on a bench is. If the jumper were to drop a shoulder should it happen in freefall (standard student training, yes?) the shifting of the container and additional airflow over the back will likely clear any hesitation. Just too many variables involved to be blaming the container without specifying exactly what caused the hesitation. Besides the fact that bench hesitations are not unusual on any container (per my master rigger husband with 6k repacks...). Is the closing loop the correct length? One that is too long could cause a hesitation. Are the canopies correctly sized for the container? Over or understuffing can create these sort of issues. More details and a video that actually shows something useful are needed if you are going to attempt to damn the container manufacturer for something that may not be a container issue. Especially on the internet... using a click bait title... in a forum frequented by noobs...

It started with a Wii game. Pinball Hall of Fame William's Collection. Then one day last year I was browsing craigslist, and somehow we ended up with a Taxi pinball machine in our living room! I don't know how that happens. Oh wait yes I do... a 6 hour one way drive and a wad of cash... That was going to be it. I mean, I understand needing more than one rig, but who needs more than one pinball machine? And then I was browsing craigslist last week. A 6 hour round trip drive and a (much smaller this time) wad of cash later.... His name is Black Knight. He's been through many brutal battles, but still he fights on. Other than a bumper that needs fixing (parts already on the way) it plays great. We'll be having a friend do some work on the board that controls the lighting, then we will switch out all the bulbs to LED. Eventually we will put a topper on the playfield and build/paint a new cabinet. I didnt know that pinball was such a big deal in these modern times. There's a forum on pinside.com that rivals this place back in 2003 for activity. It's a great hobby for anyone who was ever into messing with circuit boards or mechanical stuff. And people who can repair these things never lack for work! We can stop anytime. There's only enough room for three in the Lounge anyway.

Nothing like the crowd's energy after a playoff win. It was crazy being part of it after the Sharks took out Detroit in the 2nd round a few years back. Cant imagine the insanity when the Habs skate the Cup after game 7. Yeah I know, probably not, but stranger things have happened and dammit Canada deserves a Cup after all these years. I'm a Sharks and Toronto fan, so I'm used to rooting for the team most likely to go golfing. Go Habs!!

I was a 24 year old single mom with a high school diploma when I got hooked. Never could afford to jump as much as everyone else. Jumped crap gear for my first 600 jumps. Decided to make skydiving my career and live the dream. It really sucks watching other people jump their asses off while you are packing their parachutes or selling them googles or teaching first jump courses. Get that free education. Get that good paying career. Then (and only then) go back to the dz and start jumping again. It'll be way more fun, you'll jump way more often, you'll be a way better skydiver. I'd say that even if you weren't recovering from major injuries. You are being handed a golden ticket dude. You're an idiot if you don't jump (pun intended) on the opportunity your parents are willing to give you. If you don't want it, can you introduce your parents to my niece?

Is it possible that there is a safety related reason in addition to the obvious liability one? Having never had a shoulder pop out in the tunnel (or seen it happen) I don't know how hard it would be to remain stable or to fly to the door and exit were it to occur. Could be a big problem if the flyer is in the tunnel alone and completely loses stability when the shoulder pops.