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Everything posted by tbrown
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Now THIS is the kind of thing that we as skydivers can get involved in, to show we care. Boogies would make ideal research laboratories. For science ! For humanity ! (and maybe a little nookie...) Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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Just bring yourself and tell him what you told us. I had a vasectomy 14 years ago, after fathering two kids. But I still had to go for the interview and explain why I wanted one. The doctor doesn't want to get sued if somebody changes their mind. It's not bad to make you think over your reasons either. You really should think it over too. If you say you'd never be a good father, I'll take your word for it. But you might want to marry and some women won't marry a guy who can't give them children, it's something to consider. But ultimately, it's your choice and if you're really sure, then you should be able to get one. They ARE reversable, but that's not a sure thing. But don't sweat it, you should be able to persuade the doctor. You could always offer to sign a waiver..... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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I think a typical answer would be "For the sake of the kids" or something like that. Walt Don't forget taxes. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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I just met someone last weekend who uses surfboard wax on her legstraps to prevent slippage. As surfboard wax is sticky stuff that helps you keep your footing on an otherwise slippery board, this sounds rather interesting. The BIG question is whether surfboard wax would harm the webbing. This person was assured by her rigger that it's safe, but I'd like to hear some more opinions. Personally, I haven't had a problem with slippage, not yet anyway. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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I like "The Ring" and "Bram Stoker's Dracula", also "The Hunger", a super erotic eighties vampire pic with David Bowie, Catherine Deneuve, and Susan Sarandon (hot nekkid lesbo love scene of Deneuve & Sarandon, with Sarandon bleeding all over from love bites - wow !!). Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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Well, first there's the trick-or-treating. I always like it and kept it up 'til I was eleven years old. Then I started taking my little sister out for hers. Loved taking both my daughters out for many years and it was fun to hang out and shoot the breeze with the other parents. Even now I love all the little spooks and Ninja Turtles who come to our door. Garrison Keillor likes Halloween because it's "a day when good people can pretend to be evil, while the rest of the year evil people pretend to be good". It's important to have a holiday that makes light of our fears. And for grownups its sexy too. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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With all the sensationalistic reporting going on, I am pleased to say that at least National Public Radio had a very sensitive story on Brian's death. Noah Adams, one of NPR's best reporters was covering Bridge Day and actually interviewed Brian just minutes before he jumped. Anyone who would like to listen to this story, as well as the entire interview with Brian, which was edited down for the story, can find both at www.npr.org and I encourage you to do so, you will be impressed with the fairness, respect, and sensitivity they showed him. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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Nervous Husband - Wife jumping, please read
tbrown replied to Gretsch's topic in General Skydiving Discussions
If your wife progresses well with her training, she should probably be alright. A few students who just don't seem to "get it" are cut loose, politely or otherwise, for their own good - and ours. But that's a small minority, as most people who commit to the student progression are motivated and pick up safe habits. Anything can happen every single time a load goes up, stating with the possibility of a plane crash on takeoff, something we really dread because we're so helpless to do anything about it but sit tight & pray. Things can happen in the air, under canopy, even coming in for a landing under a perfectly good parachute. Just like driving on the freeway, a safety concious jumper can get creamed by some idiots who are only thinking of themselves. To be very honest, it is more than a little likely that a jumper will have an injury at some point and may carry some "metal" around in their body for life. I was fortunate to have my own "metal" removed after just a few months, but I know several people with permanent "metal". We live with it, some of us treat it as a badge of honor. Jumping is just too deeply beautiful to stop and for the most part we do have the risks figured in our favor. I like to tell my friends that our sport is "safe enough". What I have also seen though is that the sport has ruptured a lot of relationships and marriages. IF your wife is really serious about wanting to jump, nothing in the world is going to stop her, not if she wants it that badly. I'll be honest, this can really test your marriage. My own wife knew I was a jumper when we started dating and though she doesn't jump herself she loves how happy it makes me. She knows I'm safety conscious, but she also admits that she gets a twinge of fear at some point during the day every time I go out to jump. Then she thinks of the good things it does, and she lets go of the thought. I would take Sky Angel 2's advice and learn as much as you can about your wife's training program. She needs to be mindful about your own concerns too, this is not just a one way burden on your shoulders, we are ALL responsible for what we do with our lives. But if she loves it that much, you'll need to make some kind of peace with it. I think once you're around it more and understand it better, you can find that point. I hope so, for both of you. Best of luck. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity ! -
Dude, that is just fuckin' magic !! God really does look out for kids, some of the time anyway. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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Nowadays, no way in hell. But I will tell you for a fact that people used to jump fucked up on all kinds of stuff back in the seventies. I used to jump on pot (seventies stregth Columbian, not like the buds people smoke nowadays) and after a few beers. One time I drove drunk to the dropzone after a wedding and ORGANIZED a 9 Way diamond with the center base pulling out before breakoff - successfully, I might add. Cocaine was also much too common in those days. We used to pass around coke sniffers in the plane and even pass around lit up "power hitters" (designed for smoking on a motorcycle) in freefall. We thought it was fun. Never jumped tripping, but I'll tell you I knew some people who did, on mushrooms or blotter acid. I used to trip, but I'd never do it jumping because the space/time distortion was just too incompatible. I also watched a guy go in, who was for a fact stoned on pot and jumping borrowed gear with one arm in a cast. He pulled his reserve about 100 ft off the deck and bounced right at line stretch. Maybe this belongs in the History thread. It's not pretty and I don't condone any of it. I cleaned up my own act and got married & raised some kids. I wouldn't jump with anyone nowadays who I didn't think was sober and mentally with it. But it used to be a HUGELY widespread practice and anyone who denies it is covering up or just didn't know what was going on. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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It's looking like the Dems will win the House. Not due to any particular effort or new ideas of their own, but because the Republicans have worn out thheir welcome. The House has had a real mad dog crew of hardcore right wingers and hardcore anything gets old sooner or later. In the Senate, even the Republicans have been (slightly) more reasonable and the margin for a majority vote much tighter. The Senate could go either way, the Dems could just wrap it up. I'd love nothing more than to see Bush rendered a harmless lame duck by an all Democratic Congress. Then we'd see if he really can work with Congress or if that's all just another one of his endless bullshit lies. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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That's because his rap album "License 2 iL" hasn't been selling very well. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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Back in the 8th grade, we used to trash this old condemned house. We propped up a ladder to the attic for our secret headquarters, where we'd smoke cigarettes and study Playboy magazines. But downstairs it was all fun with crowbars. We invented a game called "real estate agent". One of us would be the realtor with a crowbar, while the rest of us would pretend to be people interested in buying the house. The realtor would of course answer all questions by smashing out the plaster and ripping the slats out of the wall. One day when it was my turn, I went to work on the ceiling I exposed a sturdy looking board and hooked the crowbar over it, got a good two handed grip on it and jumped up, raising my knees to my chest. The entire ceiling came down with a roar and a huge cloud of dust. I could hear my friends calling, "Tom ! Are you alright ? Where are you ?". I got up on my feet, a little wobbly and said "I'm okay" and they were jubilant - "That was great ! That was so cool !" Then one day we saw a Sheriff's car pulled up to the house, so we stayed away after that. I don't know what the fuss was, the whole place was demolished and carted away a week later. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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So this isn't about the administrators protecting the kids. It's about the administrators protecting their own liability. If I had kids in that school district, I'd sue the district for banning tag & other games. Might not have any merit, or even get thrown out of court, but it would be fun to inflict a miserable lawsuit on those assholes in the meantime, especially since they brought it on themselves. I sometimes think if a busload of school administrators sank in the ocean, I'd feel sorry for the poor bus..... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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The fact that I'm (ahem) year-enhanced has nothing to do with it So post one from your college babe days ! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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Blondie. Blondie's Greatest Hits and a 1999 Live Blondie with a few of their newer songs, like "Maria". Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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All the bad people (duh !). Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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I think a recognized Kurdistan nation is a wonderful idea. But the US will find an excuse to stab them in the back, probably to suck up to Turkey. Ironic that we'll probably kill the ONLY success story in Iraq ourselves. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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That's totally fucked up. Just because she's in the business gives you no right to beat her up. Maybe she's been forced into it, or maybe she's taken it up to support her kids and doesn't have the education to do any better. Anyway, nothing gives you the right to mess her up any more than anyone else . . . PA deleted. Your one warning. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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If I start a thread in "Speaker's Corner" about love, what will happen??
tbrown replied to stitch's topic in The Bonfire
Try it & see. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity ! -
Tonight I'm making spaghetti with Italian sausages. Probly bake up a tin of biscuits to go with and thhere's a nice big bottle of Zin to wash it down. Also some salad, tomatoes, and cottage cheese. Simple fare that hits the spot. I always get home ahead of Beth, so should have it all ready by the time she gets home. Not seen or spoken to you in way too long Michele, will have to PM on the sooner side. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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Too weird - the deployment bag is always in your burble as the p/c, several feet above extracts it and lifts it away. As you did eventually get the main to clear the bag, this was NOT a baglock. Logic would seem to say the p/c wasn't exerting enough drag. While I have to confess an admiration for your extracting and throwing out your deployment bag, it really was the wrong move, especially at your experience level. It could very well have cost you your life. What you were doing is something we call "improvised rigging" and it's killed a lot of jumpers more experienced than you. (Please note - I'm trying to sound really rational with you and I'm not in the least bit angry - just deeply concerned.) A number of other replies have focused on the possiblility of a worn out p/c, or else a p/c kill line (good name) that was not properly set during packing. Not being a rigger and not having seen your gear, and going only on the description provided, it sounds as though the pilot chute was simply not providing the necessary drag, for whatever reason. This is a malfunction and you can't mess around with it. Pull your handles, both of them. Your p/c is out, your container is open, but your bag won't get off your back for whatever reason. And the ground is not taking time out, it's still coming at you, 120 mph. This is no time for you to improvise a fix for your main, which is plainly not working as designed. GET RID OF IT AND PULL SILVER. Pull red, pull silver. Tell war stories about your first reserve ride and live to jump another day. Also, whether you do your own packing or hire a packer, it's YOUR responsibility to make sure 3 things are done. YOU are responsible to make sure the kill line on your pilot chute is set, your brakes are stowed, and your slider is re-opened. If you don't do it, you have nobody to blame but yourself. Packers are paid by the job and they can get "busy". It only takes a minute or two to do these three things and they effect your life, so make sure you do them, every time. And PLEASE don't mess with malfunctions like this, it's what your handles are made for. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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Thanks Howard. I remember one time choosing to land a Paracommander on the other side of the river after a rather long spot. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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The thread on the Dorniers that used to fly at Turners got me to wondering whatever happened to that dropzone. I used to jump there a little bit back in the late seventies when they had a cargo door Beech. Spring of '78 they were attempting some 24 Way "box" formations using their own Beech, plus Beeches from Orange and Mansfield. I was not on the 24 Ways myself, but remember watching them while I jumped on smaller stuff. Then I moved out west. Saw some ads in Parachutist around that time advertising they'd just got a DC-3, then it seems there was some kind of a financial implosion and they were back to a single Cessna ? Then in the eighties there were ads in Skydiving about the Dornier and how you could "experience Einstein's theory of relativity" with its climb rate. Would love to hear some of you Norteasterners fill in the blanks on this really sweet dropzone, it was in some beautiful NE countryside by the Connecticutt River. Howard ? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !
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I just borrowed a VHS copy of two episodes from a friend yesterday. Sat down and watched it for the first time in 44 (?) years. Some of the worst godawful early sixties black & white adventure TV you can possibly imagine. But then again, there were those two guys in freefall, floating around like birds in the sky. Took me straight back to the seven year old who sat transfixed, vowing that someday I would do this. I think these episodes must've been from the first season, as they still weren't jumping those classy "Ripcord" logo lopo canopies that Pioneer made for for the show. Another interesting detail is that in the opening credits, the canopy appeared to have a "free sleeve", as the p/c and deployment sleeve kept right on going, just like one of today's reserve freebags. Sleeves were pretty new back then, maybe they didn't trust them enough yet to attach them to the canopy apex. The dramatic plots were atrocious, both had to do with overbearing fathers pushing their sons/sons-in-law to do manly things, like parachuting into a canyon that the Army was using for an artillery range (oh God, the humanity....). I'm not even sure if the show had a second season or went to color TV - the episodes I have are b&w, with predictably grainy image and poor sound quality. They're also followed up by a short interview with Lyle Cameron Sr., who enthuses about how skydiving is really catching on and that he has hhopes for it to become as big a sport as skin diving. I will make inquiries about the possiblity of getting some of this onto a DVD and perhaps get it loaded onto skydivingmovies.com. Personal note, in 1979 I made a few jumps with the late Terry Ward, who was actually still jumping an original "Ripcord" canopy - I had no idea until we were opened in the air, looking over and seeing that canopy in the air was a thrill I'll never forget. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !