Rdy2skydive

no worries Ivan, I'll be there. Wanna borrow my weight vest? Don't know what's with you guys floating up on me these days. Forget how to arch?

Oh my God, Jumpingjoe and I were so nervous on Sunday. It was really funny. Once we were on the plane we started to relax. I know by 6,000 feet we were fine. If it's any consolation, there was another jumper at my DZ this weekend with about 2,000 jumps who is also an instructor. Hadn't jumped since the fall and was having pre-jump jitters. Was fine after the first jump. I think being nervous just means you're normal.

Please note that this thread was started by a jumper who has well over 100 jumps and owns their own gear. This person doesn't know how to pack and wanted to make the sunset load which was on a less than ten minute call at the time, and decided to jump a rental rig instead. Please note that this student rig did not experience two malfunctions and it's not even clear that this incident is a result of a malfunction. The jumper has changed her story a number of times and has a history of losing altitude awareness and pulling much lower than supposed to. Additionally, everyone on the load and the few remaining jumpers on the ground did assist as much as possible. Most of us were out looking for the missing jumper who was annoyed it took "so long" to finally find her. And, they were able to retrieve some of the gear so far based on the observations of the other jumpers in the sky. This jumper said she had no time to go out and look for any missing gear. As for the parachute, it's not that old and does not have thousands of jumps on it. The dropzone is frequently more than generous to it's jumpers and is currently looking to retrieve or replace the gear it lost as a result of someone else's carelessness. The jumper who started this post is not presenting all the facts in the most truthful manner.

I have a great girl's t-shirt that says - "Does this canopy make my ass look fast?" I love the shirt but it was a little pricey and the quality is pathetic. It would be great to see some cool shirts for women that are well priced and are of decent quality (sans the butterflies). Thanks for asking.

We had a similar incident at our dz this weekend. I say too bad. This jumper had her own gear but didn't know how to pack it and wanted to make the sunset load anyway. She took a recently packed rental rig from the packing tent and unfortunately experienced a mal. After hearing the jumper's account of what happened I'm not convinced that this was an actual bag lock. Could it be that this jumper lost altitude awareness and and panicked when the pilot chute got caught in a burble? It wouldn't be the first time this jumper pulled much lower than planned. If the jumper had been jumping her own gear and this happend she would still be replacing the parachute and paying for a repack. What makes her think it should be any different while jumping gear that belongs to someone else? Consider it one of those valuable learning lessons.

Uh oh. It sounds like Michelin better stock up on tires. I'll bet money that pup is peeing on your carpets and chewing your sneakers by the weekend. Good Luck!

She sounds like the perfect dog. I absolutely adore big dogs - they have such great personalities. Dogs bring so much joy into our lives. No one else will jump three feet into the air and spin for you every time you walk in the front door. My fingers (and toes) are crossed for you. I hope you get her - please let us know.

"Anyone remember twist dials on the tv?" Oh my God, we had that on our second tv - a little beat up black and white. Eventually the knob broke off and we had to use pliers to change the channel. Let me tell you, it was rough watching the Brady Bunch in prime time back then. Er, um, did I just date myself?

LOL... And I actually had to get up off the couch and walk across the room to change the channel on the tv.

I know I'm a newbie but I was having a lot of problems with off-heading openings when I took Scott Miller's canopy class last summer. His advice was to make sure you put your legs together as your canopy is opening. This works every time. I've even shared his advice with many of my fellow jumpers and they've had success with it too. Just my$.02.

Thank you both for those - they really made my day.

A friend of mine bought a house before she got her Akita. When the dog was about 5 or 6 years old it attacked (for no reason) a neighbor who had come to do some work on the house. The attack was so brutal that his face is permanently disfigured and he had to have his arms re-attached at the shoulders. Since the dog attacked the guy on her property, the police could not confiscate the dog. The neighbor sued, her homeowners insurance paid out over $250,00.00 and dropped her policy. I lost touch with her but last I talked to her she was unable to get new insurance until she got rid of her dog. I also have a co-worker who has a Rottweiler that has a bad temper. Even though it never attacked anyone, someone from an insurance company paid a surprise visit to the house when she was at work and saw the dog. He also learned the neighbors were afraid of it. She had difficulty getting a homeowners policy and had to pay a lot more money when she findally did. It's unfortunate but some people can be very irresponsible with their pets and if it's a dog that is frequently bred to be vicious, no one wants the liability.

Recently a few non-skydiving friends told me that I was just skydiving until I met the right guy. Once I met him I would definitely want to quit skydiving. Hmmmm. I don't think so. I like to think that the man of my dreams would support me in anything I wanted to do. In the past, I've never regretted walking away from relationships, but I've always regretted the things I gave up to try to make those relationships work.

I just celebrated with a cupcake for breakfast. Carbs - just say "yes."

Before my company started layoffs last May there were a lot of strange things happening that only made sense after people started being let go. If you think something isn't right, chances are something is going on. I would also recommend that you be careful about believing everything that upper management tells you too. Get your resume updated and in circulation. If something happens then you've got a head start. It's not a good idea to get too comfortable in today's job market. Good luck.

I think that it's safe to say that both men and women will date someone for very shallow reasons - looks, money, etc. Values like that are not gender specific. That being said, I would never date someone for their money but I would say that a person's financial status or attitude towards money can influence the relationship. I was seriously involved with someone who was going through a bad divorce that financially devastated him. It really affected his self-esteem and that took a huge toll on our relationship. I never cared about his car or his bank book but his attitude was very difficult to deal with. Eventually the relationship ended. From a money standpoint only - I don't need someone who is rich or even makes a lot more money than me, but I do need someone who is at least financially stable.

1. Whats your name? Lisa 2. How old are you? 37 3. Why did you decide to start jumping out of airplanes? It's something I wanted to try ever since I knew it existed. 4. Are you single or taken? Married? Single. 5. Do you have kids? No 6. What do you drive? Dodge Neon 7. Have you ever done a kisspass? Of course 8. Where do you live? Northern New Jersey 9. Do you have any pets? Yes. A Bernese Mountain Dog named Anya. 10. How many jumps do you have? 94 11. What color eyes do you have? Brown 12. What is your nationality? American 13. Have you ever dated someone you met off the internet? NO! 14. Favorite Movie? There are many but The Lion King and Gone With The Wind are at the top of the list. 15. What do you do when you arent skydiving? Work, write, hang out with whuffo friends. 16. Have you ever BASE jumped? No 17. If not... do you want to? No 18. Do you have siblings? 1 younger sister. 19. Where do you want to travel to the most? Italy and Egypt 20. What's your favorite color? Pink 21. Where was the last place you flew to ( not skydiving )? Lebanon, Ohio - for business.

I have a Tony RW suit. I just put it in the washing machine with cold water and a mild detergent like Cheer. When it's done I even put it in the dryer for about 20 minutes on a low setting. Hang it up for a day or two to let the grippers fully dry. I've been washing it like this several times a month for over a year - never had a problem.

I can't say enough about Cold Ease. Get some at your local drug store. They taste terrible but will move a cold through your system very quickly. Feel better.

I had the same problem on my first tandem and AFF jumps. It turned out I would hold my breath on the exit and actually forget to breath. Now I take a very deliberate deep breath and exhale every time I get in the door - this helps a lot. Any time I feel like I can't breath in freefall is because I'm not breathing. Just relax!

Where were you when I had my editor's meeting yesterday????? I manage all the printing of books and other products for a division in my company. Last week an editor made me stop the presses on one of her critical titles so she could check to see if she made a change on one page. I explained to her that by doing so, she would jeopardize her deadline since a new press time would have to be scheduled. She said she didn't care. The next day she was mad at me because her book was not finished printing. So in answer to your question - Yes. People really are that stupid. Thank God it's Friday.

When did you last see the STL Caravan in Cleveland? We jumped out of it all weekend. As for the King Air - that's old news. It's been for sale for a couple of years.

When I decided to make my first skydive I e-mailed each NJ dropzone looking for information. About 45 minutes later the owner of my now home DZ called me at work and spent almost an hour talking to me about skydiving. He patiently answered all of my whuffo questions and didn't rush to get me off the phone. I had a great gut feeling about this place and I was right. It's all about the general atmosphere and the vibe.

LOL. This is way more interesting than any work I have to do today. Check me out: Name: Thunder Muffin Secret Identity: Jersey Girl Special Power: Power Ears Transportation: Magnetic Motorcycle Weapon: Meson Gun Costume: Spandex Snow Suit Sidekick: Starling Nemesis: Jack the Hideous Tragic Flaw: Addicted to chocolate Favorite Food: Spaghetti I get to eat chocolate AND ride a motorcycle. YAY!!

I know how you feel. I live in New Jersey but commute to my office in New York City every day. My office is not even ten miles from my home but I commute 90 minutes each way (includes 2 trains and a mile walk) It's not fun. Best advice I can offer - use the time to sleep, read, or find a way to do some work. That's how most of my fellow commuters handle it. Otherwise your only other option would be to move. Good Luck!!!