skybytch

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content

    20,001

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    14

  • Feedback

    0%

Everything posted by skybytch

  1. skybytch
    No. Approving of what he does and respecting his right to do whatever he wants are two different things. I show respect to my s/o by not telling him what he can and can't do. If what he does becomes so bothersome to me that I lose respect for him as a person, I'm gone, and I would expect the same from him. He deserves better than that and so do I. Bigun said it better than I did.
  2. skybytch
    I like cars that make the ground shake when they start. Cars that you can hear coming from 2 blocks away. Cars that are so damned loud that the cops look, and the sound isn't coming out of speakers; no need to put a stereo in cuz you'll never hear it over the sound of the motor. Cars that produce insane amounts of horsepower and deliver insane amounts of torque to the rear wheels. Without nitrous. Yeah. Gimme 1960's GM-style American muscle. Cars that not only look mean but are mean. Big block V8's with lotsa chrome, four barrel carbs, ported heads, thumpety thumping cams, wide open intake manifolds and headers. And I can never have one, for I like having a drivers license...
  3. skybytch
    I'm a drug dealer.
  4. skybytch
    They also force an increase in awareness of what your legs are doing. Like you can get away with poor flare technique when jumping a very lightly loaded canopy but not under a heavily loaded one, you can get away with "happy feet" without booties but not so much with them.
  5. skybytch
    I don't have a penis and it doesn't make sense to me. If a woman doesn't like a man's behavior or the things he does, why stick around? He's not going to change and there are lots of other men out there who don't do those things...
  6. skybytch
    ...which has never been paid for out of my pocket, it was given to me back when I was green. I'm kinda surprised it's still there.
  7. skybytch
    I caved and had 3/4th's of a cocktail last night. Seeing how it was St Patrick's Day, I think JP totally understands why I had to do it.
  8. skybytch
    If he's into art, architecture, US history and/or gardening he'll love it. While you're there, I highly recommend going to the other side of Highway 1 from the castle entrance. Visit Sebastian's General Store (built in the late 1800's and still operating), check out the warehouses that Hearst had built there, walk on the pier, hang on the beach and if you're really wantin' to give him an edumacation, ask a local how to get to Pirate's Cove. There's also some excellent beach walking on the north end of Cambria (but you know that, you've stayed there ), and camping is available at the state park campground north of Cambria. Oh, and it's San Simeon. Minor point I know, but people spelling it wrong usedta piss me off when I lived there.
  9. skybytch
    The weather is beautiful, there are students at the dz and I'm stuck at school.
  10. skybytch
    It might if we talk up the fact that many dz's allow jumpers to pitch tents and stay awhile...
  11. skybytch
    Your body will appreciate it even more 10-20 years from now. I wish my first 700 jumps had been on a modern canopy that opens in 750 ft instead of on F111 canopies that opened in 400 feet; perhaps I wouldn't have this irritating tingling and pain down my left arm if mains like Spectres and Safires had been available back in 1990.
  12. skybytch
    Yeah... what about us? Yes, it would get rid of spammers and scams and it might increase site revenue, but it would shut the site off from anybody who, for whatever reason, doesn't have a magic piece of plastic or doesn't have an extra $10 a month to spend on a website. But WTH, skydiving has been yuppiefied, why not dz.com?
  13. skybytch
    Yup. Cuz every female skydiver is looking for a guy who has to constantly show off the fact that he has some money. Nothing else matters. Well, okay, one other thing matters - how fast can he pack for me?
  14. skybytch
    What's the definition of professional? Gettin' paid - ie I'm a professional skydiver because sometimes I get paid to do it. For some strange reason I think that many of those amateurs you've met are actually professionals if you use the above definition.
  15. skybytch
    I'll be there but will only be jumping if there's AFF to do. The big way landing area carnage is always so much fun to watch; my only debate is which camera I should use.
  16. skybytch
    Every time you check the tracking data, the likelihood of them losing or damaging the package containing your new toy goes up exponentially.
  17. skybytch
    If they need a lot of drag to slow down and/or if all they want to do on their belly are zoo loads, then yeah, one suit will probably work for both types of flying. But if they aren't big or if they want to do RW jumps that actually work as planned at some point in the near future, they'd be far better off buying the right tool for the job in the first place. One big advantage to getting booties on a first RW suit is that they will force the jumper to be aware of their legs. That's a good thing, and is also something that will benefit them when learning to freefly.
  18. skybytch
    Congrats Phil! Looking forward to working with you.
  19. skybytch
    Any canopy or container that I buy is going to be inspected by my rigger before I jump it. Doesn't matter if it was inspected by the seller's rigger or not. Why? I know what it takes to get a riggers ticket. I know several folks who have that piece of paper who I wouldn't let inspect my shoes, much less my lifesaving devices. Neither the seller nor the seller's rigger have any control over what happens to the item once they hand it off to the shipper. I wouldn't jump a brand new main without having it inspected by someone I know and trust. Why would I do anything different with a used one?
  20. skybytch
    I think you're right that Chinese rulers liked the system they had built. But I think you're wrong in saying that Taoism is the reason. Confucianism was far more important to the rulers of China than Taoism was. Both philosophical traditions came out of the Warring States period (c~500 BCE); both were attempts to stabilize Chinese government. Confucius looked to the past (in his case, the Zhou Dynasty) to legitimize and systematize the patriarchal, hierarchical society that the "ancients" had built ("I am not one who has innate knowledge, but one who, loving antiquity, is diligent in seeking it therein"). Taoism also looked to the past but further back; it claims that no structure at all is the better way to rule ("In the highest antiquity, the people did not know that there were rulers"). The words of Confucius, not the words of Master Lao, were the focus of Chinese civil service exams. That alone should suggest which philosophical tradition was most important to Chinese rulers.
  21. skybytch
    Sashays, S-turns, whatever you'd like to call them, are not predictable. They can be very confusing to the people behind you in the pattern (is he turning cuz he's going to land over there? okay, I'll cut over this way... hey, wait a sec, wtf is he doing coming back over here?!?!?).
  22. skybytch
    It's obvious that you've never met Shell's boobies.
  23. skybytch
    Check with some freefliers about material choice before you start the project. If you aren't a big guy, you may not want polycotton. Supplex is available in 2 ply and 4 ply. 4 ply will last longer; much better choice for a suit than the 2 ply. Depending on color availability, you may have to get 2 ply to get a particular color; if that's the case, use that color for appliques, not for the body of the suit.
  24. skybytch
    A very good idea. Bring your logbook and tell the tunnel instructor about your last jump so they'll know what to help you with.
  25. skybytch
    If your idea of an awesome boogie is making craploads of jumps and partying every night without ever leaving the dz, go to Summerfest. If your idea of an awesome boogie includes some jumps, some partying, some incredible scenery, some awesome local beer, a buncha Canadians, some time at and/or on the lake, some hiking in a National Park, a sunset cross country over a beautiful valley, and a wide variety of people to share it all with, go to LP.