skydiver30960

The way I see, is it is HIGHLY unlikely you are the first patient of his that has cut off their cast early. He knows the reason: CASTS SUCK. So, since the missing cast isn't going to faze him, DEFINITELY go for the sex one. ...say it all soft and sultry, tip your head down, look up and him sweetly, and throw him a wink. Then watch him try to keep his cool for the rest of the visit. Elvisio "wish I could be there" Rodriguez

Yeah, I know it's a pretty damn fuzzy question and that there are a million different factors that go into whether or not a canopy is "airworthy". But when we talk about skydiving mains, canopies with 500 jumps on them are the norm. When we talk about skydiving RESERVES, anything with more than a handful of jumps better have some good stories coming with it or it is going to be hard to sell used. SO... if I'm looking to buy a used BASE canopy, what kind of guidlines am I looking for? Obviously, overall care and condition are the primary concern... but certain questions include: Does the type of deployment (slider up vs. slider down or no slider, for example) affect the overall "useful life" of a BASE canopy? Or do we feel they're built tough enough to take the slider-free beating in stride? I figure water landings need to be considered in the total "bill of health" for a canopy, am I correct in that assumption? How many jumps on a canopy would make you worry? For instance, on a skydiving main I wouldn't bat an eyelash at a canopy with 500 jumps, but if I saw something for sale with 1000 jumps on it I'm probably going to keep shopping. Thanks for the help... Elvisio "sick of just livin' on the edge, wanna start jumpin' off it" Rodriguez

My view of life: Who am I to say that nothing ever comes to me, winter surrounds me, sun never shines on me, sky's always falling: I'm standing tall. --Slackjaw My favorite inspirational quote: The world is made a better place by those who refuse to believe they cannot fly. Just for grins, a couple Brooksisms: (Herb Brooks was the coach who led the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team to victory over the U.S.S.R.) "You guys look like a bunch of monkeys tryin' to fuck a football" and my personal favorite: "You guys are playing worse and worse every day, and right now you're playing like it's NEXT MONTH." Elvisio "what me worry" Rodriguez

I'm a Wings fan myself, so by default I need to root for the Stars in the Stars/Avalanche series. I think it's a law of nature or something. Lawrocket is right... I like the Wings but I don't see the fire that they had in them in past Cup runs. I'm afraid they won't have the juice to run the course. I don't see any real front runners presenting themselves at the moment.Wings and Avs are usually so strong, but neither of them is playing like they REALLY want the cup. I'm kind of a closet Maple Leafs fan. Sorry Lawrocket, I know you dig the Sens. The Leafs just strike me as a gritty, not-too-showy, hard-working kind of team... which is the kind of hockey player I try to be. No matter who wins or loses, the important thing is IT IS THE PLAYOFFS! Woo hoo! More hockey than you can possibly watch! The girlfriend had her wisdom teeth pulled, so there's nothing for me to do but play nurse, dispense her narcotics, and OH YEAH watch hockey ALL DAY! Elvisio "Cup crazy" Rodriguez

Huh, funny timing to see this thread now... my gf just got hers (two only, luckily) yanked this morning. She's in on the couch in that not-so-happy stage between the surgery and when the pain subsides enough to really enjoy the drugs. I'm off to check on her... Elvisio "changer of gauze" Rodriguez

It's pretty dated stuff. Like indyz, the only experience I have with it is that my first dz used them for static line rigs, (I would guess) mostly because we didn't trust them for freefall. Again, like indyz said, lotsa velcro maintenance required, pretty minimal main canopy container. If it's a rig you're going to be using a lot, you might want to consider something else...

I'd go ahead and make a note of it. Maybe put it up by the serial number or something like that so it doesn't get lost in the list of repacks? Really the data card should follow the canopy rather than the container (IIRC) so the fact that the canopy was assembled in a different container shouldn't make a difference. All the data cards should be with the canopy, stapled together or whatever.

Hey brother AirLoco! Do me a favor and either post or PM me with the cost of a reline. My 185 is ready for one and I'd like to give the MAX lineset a try... Elvisio elvisio@rodriguezbrothers.com

Melissa Sheridan said she has about two years of probation left for welfare fraud in New York state. She moved to North Carolina a few months ago with her boyfriend, John Finger. Welfare fraud huh? Definitely a quality chick... Elvisio "can't talk too loud, currently on unemployment" Rodriguez

Buy more gear. Then, when this happens again, you'll have a backup rig and won't be grounded. Elvisio "spending other people's money" Rodriguez

You got the lowdown on dzs already. Now, to discuss night life. Stand in Fort Lauderdale and throw a brick south. Go to where the brick landed. Pick it up and throw it again. It will hit Miami on the second throw. If Miami can't provide you with any kind of nightlife you're looking for, you need professional help. Elvisio

Dammit Jalisco, I resemble that remark! And with my plans to shack up at the Fanmarker this year, it's looking like my days will be getting started even later than before. Well, maybe if I try hard I can make the sunset load each day... Elvisio "hell, I can jump out of planes at HOME" Rodriguez

it's a lose lose situation: If you don't kick his ass, you're the wuss who got slapped by Richard Simmons and did nothing about it. If you kick his ass, you're the wuss who beat up on an obviously weaker Richard Simmons... Elvisio "which is the lesser of two evils" Rodriguez

FX just showed the episode of Married With Children where Bud goes skydiving to keep the attention of his way-too-hot-for-him girlfriend. How does it end, you ask? How could you not know in advance? Bud jumps (with 2-way radio with his instructor and girlfriend, no less) and while he's in freefall his girlfriend hooks up with... why, the instructor, of course! Good Stuff Elvisio "all this and Christina Applegate too!" Rodriguez

BAD idea. VERY BAD idea. Imagine YOU getting that call at the DZ. Consider all the wonderfully mischevious things you could to so so helpless a person... no skydiver in the WORLD could resist.

For me it'd be Ashton Kutcher. Cuz he looks like me (according to my girlfriend and/or chicks who are trying to flatter me) and he rarely has any serious roles. Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Keanu Reeves, Pamela Anderson, Willam Defoe, Matt Damon, Marlon Brando, Anjelina Jolie... man, imagine if all our Hollywood "they wish they were us" picks all learned to jump like us and all came to the same boogie! Now THAT would be a bad-ass party! Elvisio "would they want our autographs" Rodriguez

Miami Vice! Miami Vice! Elvisio "crockett and tubbs ROCK" Rodriguez

It's all a matter of context. I wouldn't be comfortable being the "naked guy" going to college classes nude. But, in the right context and atmosphere, say maybe... the Freefall Convention then I'm pretty comfortable letting it all hang out. Elvisio "not that much to let hang out anyway" Rodriguez

Coolest dude: Ashton Kutcher in Dude Where's my Car. Lie to us if you must, but don't lie to yourself: you dug it. Sexiest chickie: I have to pick just one? At the moment Charlize Theron wears me out, but I've had a long-term thing for Neve Campbell (where are they now?) and Jennifer Connely.

Ugh. I hate stuff like this. I'd much rather be making useless "talk back" postings because they stir up so much less crap. BUT: Since getting my rating about two years ago, I've been postively anal about keeping myself within the guidelines set forth by Strong regarding currency. One tandem in the past 30 days, three in the past 90; if you don't got 'em you get 'em by jumping with skydivers with at least 100 jumps before taking any students. 30 days sounds like a long time to go without a tandem, but especially in the winter all it takes is a weekend or two of bad weather and a weekend spent with the girlie and it's on you before you know it. I've met a lot of TM's who aren't so concerned about these requirements. I'm scared to death of them simply from a liability standpoint. Being out of currency strikes me as the kind of thing that would make an ambulance-chaser salivate like one of Pavlov's dogs. Just wondering what you guys thought...

I need clarification on "good, upbeat". Is this a kids tourney, so we need to keep things PC? Actually it's not about keeping it PC for the kids but for the kids' parents. A great source for fast paced, high energy music are soundtracks from action movies. You get a variety of artists, but all the music is typically along the same tempo. Problem is, most of this stuff is a little over the top for kids (or their parents). BUT, just to shower you all with my opinion, check out soundtracks like: Matrix Matrix Reloaded XXX More Fast and Furious (the second sdtrk from the first movie) Mission Impossible 2 I get the feeling this stuff might be a bit rougher than you want... but check 'em out.

Well, I'm more of a "buy it right the first time" kinda guy right now but I was damn poor when I started jumping. There's a college kid just off AFF at our DZ who's going to pick up a similar unit with a similar DOM for a similar price. It may not be exactly the most cost-effective over the long run, but if it gets him into a Cypres that's better than him trying to jump without one, right? PLUS: With a DOM of 9/94, it'll get you through this season, next season, and most or all of the 2006 season. So actually you have three years left on the unit. Not too shabby, actually. Elvisio "call me Bob Barker" rodriguez

Only thing I can add (since it came up just last week) is that RWS doesn't offer the Vector II instructions online. You can download the Vector 3 online, but not the II. You can order them from RWS if you want them, the good old fashioned way (on paper) for $8.

You know your office better than I do. My feeling is that if you feel something is wrong, it's probably a safe bet. I got laid off on the first of the New Year, and I've been REALLY happy about the whole situation. What made losing my job MUCH easier was that when I started to see the writing on the wall I started to plan ahead. Stuff like: look at how much $$$ you have in the bank. I'm not a family man, so I didn't need a lot. But it's just a comparison of your needs vs. your bank account. Think about how long it'll take to get a new job (or how much you plan to be off if you're going to take a "break" from the workaday world) and make sure you have the savings to cover it. Try to limit expenses. Don't count on severance or unemployment benefits; then anything you DO get is icing on the cake. I know some of this sounds pretty sophomoric; but I had a buddy who, as we started seeing the direction the company was going, went ahead with his plans to buy himself a new house and truck. Needless to say he was sweatin' . Long story short: start saving for the "rainy day" today instead of waiting for the pink slip. Then, when/if it does come, you'll be more prepared and will be able to handle a little time without a paycheck maybe even take some well-deserved "walkabout" time! Elvisio "bummin' it and lovin' it" rodriguez

Well, only a blind man would not see that the point has been made, but just because I'm so proud of my own opinion, Spain is where it's at. I have not visited the UK, and would very much like to someday, but not at the expense of never going to Spain again. Both my trips have concentrated on the South of Spain and the land is captivating. Granada, Toledo, Sevilla; all are truly awesome. How can you not LOVE a culture that goes home for three hours in the middle of the work day to eat and nap? Then goes back to work for a couple more hours (maybe), goes home again and hits the clubs until 4AM? Does the siesta give the energy to stay out, or does staying out require the siesta? It's a chicken vs. egg thing that I never understood, but enjoyed fiercely! Elvisio "espana suprema" Rodriguez