skydiver30960

DING DING DING! Winner! Remember "The Freshman," with Matthew Broderick and Marlon Brando? Granted, it's not a Komodo Dragon you've caught, but you have to start somewhere... Elvisio "the certainty of his fur" Rodriguez

Easy way to find out: get additional estimates from other shops. Elvisio "works like a charm" Rodriguez

I've ridden up front three or four times, always for instructors who needed it for their course or to get current at the start of a new season. Never had any worries. Actually, I really enjoy taking experienced jumpers as passengers when I'm working on recurrency or whatever. It's a totally different experience when you have somebody riding up front who knows exactly what's going on. You can trust them to do the right thing (unless they're fucking with you ) but you can't play anything off. It really helps you keep on your A-game. Elvisio "maybe getting recurrent this spring, maybe not" Rodriguez

You forgot to include the poll option of "I always open them, but also always immediately regret it." Elvisio "my choice" Rodriguez

I'm usually not one for posting sexually explicit threads, but I need you all to settle a long-standing argument. I could go into detail about who is involved in this argument, but do I really need to? If the lady starts something, but doesn't finish it for whatever reason, does it count as a "blowjob"? Or just "giving/getting head"? I'm not complaining, just trying to nail down (no pun intended) proper terminology. This is something that my former engineer self and current healthcare type self simply require. Elvisio "wanna guess my vote?" Rodriguez

I'm the big red Kool-Aid Man lookin' guy right behind Kevin in that picture. TO THIS DAY, I would probably count that as the most perfect skydive I've ever been on. Kevin took me from my last static line through my 45 second delays. He was an awesome guy who always tried to get the newbies involved without overpassing their limits. The times around the bonfire were awesome. He used to be in a folk band, and when he brought out his guitar and his singing voice it'd blow you away. I ALWAYS begged him to play Southern Cross for me, and he usually did even though it was in a key that was really hard for him to sing. Still sounded awesome. It was tough listening to that song last night. I haven't seen him in a couple years; I could make some guesses at what might have driven him to such an end but couldn't be sure, and honestly don't need to. I'm sure that wherever he is now those demons are gone. I hope it's just like his 600th: that perfect last skydive of the day, with the sun as warm on his face as his smile was on our hearts. Blue ones, buddy. Elvisio "so tired of losing all the good ones" Rodriguez

The kick in the ass is supporting them for the 20+ years it takes the family to get to the point that the second generation is finally in a position to pay into the system rather than just take from it. Elvisio "see it in action everyday" Rodriguez

Very nice picture. Although I must admit that when I saw the title "pink flower" I thought "ALLRIGHT! That's MY kind of art!" Elvisio "mind+gutter=me" Rodriguez

Ever since I started working in healthcare, I wash 'em BEFORE AND AFTER. Even wearing gloves, some of the shit I touch on a daily basis scares the shit out of me. Elvisio "necrotizing facitis, anyone?" Rodriguez

The other thing I thought about when she said it to me was "maybe she cheated on me and was looking for me to give her the green light to tell me about it..." Elvisio "jealous bastard" Rodriguez

Absolutely, and as I mentioned in the first line of my post, I'm really sorry that his outbreak was so awful. (I guess YOU missed that part) Hell, I jump with the guy. So even more so that with your average dz.com poster, and as someone who has dealt with the issue for the better part of two decades now, I can identify with his pain. I guess I could have been more clear. With the exception of really nasty outbreaks like his, which was probably brought on by (as his doctor mentioned to him) the fact that his oral cavity was already taxed by the orthodontic issues, most people live with this every day without any adverse effects. Sorry if I offended, I truly am. I'll say it more clearly: Rob, your description paints a nasty picture and I'm sorry you had to go through with it. I hope you never have to go through it again. My goal was not to belittle his ordeal, but to try to calm him and help him realize that this is really something that he can (hopefully, in all likelihood) overcome with little or no change in his overall lifestyle. Also, to try to temper some of the rampant social attitude (i.e. cold sores = the black plague) about the illness and help others realize how truly common the illness is. Elvisio "it always sounds better in my head" Rodriguez

I'm going to go off myself now. Good Bye Cruel Herpes ridden world . . . MY POINT EXACTLY! It's not that big a deal. Do what you reasonably can to prevent giving it to somebody else, but don't lose a single moment's sleep over it. Elvisio "somehow, managing to cope

Mine said that too. Does that mean I'll test her out on it? Hell no. She also said, she'd forgive but never forget. And I belive it. She's better than me, I dunno if I could ever forgive. Elvisio "just love her for the fact that she said it" Rodriguez

Sorry to hear you had such a rough go of it. But keep in mind that this is an incredibly common disease, and probably not worthy of giving yourself so much panic. So, to quote you somewhat, it isn't QUITE COMMON, it's VERY COMMON. From what I've been able to gather through my time with getting cold sores and online, something like 50-80% of the people alive today are carriers of the virus. That means, if you're reading this, you probably carry the virus. Depending on your individual body's reaction to carrying the virus, outbreaks can and to recur. Some are really lucky, and they'll never have an outbreak. Some are relatively lucky, they'll only have outbreaks when ill or under stress. Some are still pretty lucky, they'll only get one or two outbreaks a year. And the unlucky ones deal with outbreaks all the time. Fortunately I'm not one of them, but my heart goes out to them. Part of the stigma of the disease is that, supposedly, it is a "sexually transmitted disease." I've read that most people actually contract it in infancy and childhood, when everybody wants to kiss the little baby and when kids are sharing drinking cups and whatnot. This doesn't change the fact that it can be transmitted through sexual contact, but so can the common cold. A cold sores is herpes. Gential herpes is herpes. Shingles is herpes. Hey, did you ever have chicken pox? Guess what, you are a carrier of the herpes virus. The hardest part of the disease is the stigma attached to it. When I have a cold sore I feel like the whole world wants to run away from me. I use antivirals when I have an outbreak, and it seems to help. If people kept in mind that they are very likely already a carrier of the virus... I know (now) about shedding, I know that I didn't have an outbreak until college. This means either: I had the virus from before and that was just the first time I'd had an outbreak, OR I caught it from somebody who was not symptomatic at the time I was kissin' on them. Am I as safe as I can be? Sure. Do I kiss anyone (even my fiance who already got cold sores even before we met) when I have a sore? Hell no. But does the fact that I have to deal with this issue mean I need to live my life in a sterilized bubble? No. It's like skydiving: do what you can to mitigate the risk, and you just go from there. Now, to answer your question: if you find yourself having frequent outbreaks, find out what your triggers are. Stress, sunlight, and chapped lips are my biggest triggers. So, I try to stay mellow and find that chapstick with SPF does wonders for me. When I have an outbreak, oral and topical antivirals have really shortened my healing times. Sores that used to take two weeks to heal are now gone in less than a week. Elvisio "gettin' it off my chest" Rodriguez

At least you picked a main that would open damn fast! Elvisio "maybe the 500 jumps on a sabre one explain my memory problems... uh... what was I talking about?" Rodriguez

Don't worry baby, I've been here all along. My insanely intense brainwashing-like effort at re-education ends in May. Once I have the time, regular visits to local DZs will resume, as well as (hopefully) the occasional foray outside state lines. Don't tell my parole officer . Elvisio "good to know I was missed" Rodriguez

That's where he ended up? Good stuff. Elvisio "one more reason for a road trip" Rodriguez

Thumbs down to Quincy under the "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me" rule. Elvisio "been there done that" Rodriguez

A true highlight of the 80's. "KENT! KENT! THIS IS GOD, KENT. Have you been touching yourself?" Elvisio "call me Laslo" Rodriguez

More ramblings: As the Graying of America continues, a couple of things are going to happen at the same: 1.) More and older people consuming more and more resources to be kept alive, despite significantly reduced or nonexistant quality of life; and, 2.) The drying up of said resources available to pay for such care. This is going to push us to reevaluate our ideas of keeping mom and dad alive at all costs and in any way (even if it is unconscious, on a ventilator with a dozen IV meds and continuous dialysis at a cost to the system of thousands a day) because we feel "it's the right thing to do." We're already seeing it: living wills, DNR/DNI orders, and increasing opportunities for hospice care all signal that the change is coming. Is it due to the dawning of the idea that it's finally ok to die? Or is it because it's finally becoming too expensive to be selfish and keep our family members "alive" (in the loosest sense of the word) until we're ready to let go? Either way, the end result is the same. In my short time in healthcare, I've already seen the miserable end many meet when their loved ones aren't comfortable allowing them to die. As I move into my new job as a nurse in a Surgical Trauma/Burn ICU, I'm sure I'll see more. Hopefully, with time, I'll see a little less. Elvisio "too many tubes" rodriguez

Good idea, bad execution. I dig the idea of making it (somehow) financially more difficult to go to the ER, with the idea that people would be less likely to use it as a 24-hour primary care dispensary. But looking to ambulance vs. ambulatory to make the decision of an ER visit that is "worthwhile" is not the way to do it. I have to transport somebody that calls 911 for a stubbed toe just the same as I have to transport someone having a heart attack; if the above standard were in place you'd just have even MORE abuse of the 911 system. I still don't see an answer to what we do with the people who cannot (or, with ever increasing frequency, simply WILL not) pay. What about the illegal immigrant that walks into my ER with no insurance, no job, no social security number, in full term labor? She's never paid into the system, may very well never do so, and now has a kid on the way so we get to pay for her AND the young'un. What about the borderline people who are making enough that they can't qualify for Medicaid but don't make enough to pay the bills themselves and are obviously going to throw away the hospital bill as soon as it comes? I think that any attempt at a tiered system (which it feels to me like we're already trying) will end up being abused to the point of uselessness. I feel it's gotta be one or the other: you pay for everything (and sorry about your luck if you can't afford it) or WE pay for everything. Elvisio "either way, I have a job for a long time" Rodriguez

Whereas on the other hand if you're a guy I DARE you to make a complimentary remark about another guy's cock without getting way more attention than you want! Elvisio "not speaking from experience, of course" Rodriguez

Sorry Bill, but I think you might be wrong, and TH is right. I shudder just saying it! Bartholin's glands: (description) two mucus-secreting glands; (function) help to lubricate tissues during intercourse. Sounds like it's not much fun for the lady if they get infected. Source: Black and Hawkes (2005) Medical-Surgical Nursing. St. Louis, Elsevier-Saunders, page 976. And Broke: it's NOT google! EDIT FOR BROKE: JINX! Elvisio "TH was first anyhow" Rodriguez

A little compound and some elbow grease and that should buff out. Sorry dude, just glad you're ok. Elvisio "there but for the grace of God" Rodriguez

The pilot is letting all the smoke out of the engine. Doesn't he know the engine only runs when the smoke stays INSIDE the engine? (At least, that's what they told me at my first DZ) Elvisio "somedays I miss the pistons" Rodriguez