jceman

"It's interesting when people die; give us dirty laundry!" VBeer to Don Henley

TLML and I subscribe to Skydiving Parachutist (get 2 each month, duh) Reader's Digest Ladies Home Journal Highways Winnebago Itasca Traveler's News Playboy Car & Driver Sport Fishing Smithsonian Air & Space Smithsonian IEEE Spectrum Computer ACM Journal Moderm Maturity My Generation So I'm not only a geek, but an old one

Right on that, Chris...Guess we had better get our aluminum foil hats ready.

People say that because in all other crashes they've seen pix of, there are large pieces of wreckage -- an engine lying in a cornfield, recognizable sections of fuselage, etc. Most crashes people are familiar with have a large component of force going along lines other than that of impact, that is, the plane has forward speed and impacts belly first, strewing large bits here and there. Or may be spinning down until impact, spreading the force of impact over a large area of the airframe, leaving big pieces all over. Contrast that to the crashes of 9/11, which are more like some of the crashes of FB111s in Nevada that I helped clean up in the late 70s -- all the momentum going forward, very high speed, impact with a solid vertical surface. Result? No large pieces of any sort, even the hardest parts of the engines were reduced to shards and small particles more like marbles and sand. Nothing at all to recognize as ever having been an airplane of any sort. (And don't even go into what happened to the pilots -- let's just say...nah, even a sick bastard like me has trouble wrapping his mind around what I saw and found!)

methinks someone the has confused numbers bit a. 1:1:0 here Same for TLML

What's a "season"?

I posted this on another thread, but felt it appropriate to add to this one also: Let me tell you about another angle to this -- if you see something say something. Last weekend at ZHills, Lynn and I gave each other our customary gear checks, me checking her first, ending with her slapping the back of my container to show all is ok. After we got to 1000', I undid my helmet and seatbelt, reached to my chest strap to take it out of the keeper and get my goggles and what do I see? My chest strap is misrouted! I tapped Lynn on the shoulder and pointed it out to her, saying "You missed something." She said she had seen it but "knew you would see it when you got your goggles." When we got down, I went over the whole thing -- what if we had had to get out before I retrieved my goggles, etc.? Lynn knows my routine and felt that because of it there was no problem -- I reminded her that the routine is not always under my control; I then told her the bottom line -- if you see something, say something! I have done this with people far more experienced than I -- the reactions have been one of two: they were not aware of the problem I pointed out and thanked me, or they were aware of the situation and had a plan (like my goggles), but thanked me anyway for being alert. Never got laughed at or had someone get mad at me. I can't stress this too much -- if you see something, say something!

Let me tell you about another angle to this -- if you see something say something. Last weekend at ZHills, Lynn and I gave each other our customary gear checks, me checking her first, ending with her slapping the back of my container to show all is ok. After we got to 1000', I undid my helmet and seatbelt, reached to my chest strap to take it out of the keeper and get my goggles and what do I see? My chest strap is misrouted! I tapped Lynn on the shoulder and pointed it out to her, saying "You missed something." She said she had seen it but "knew you would see it when you got your goggles." When we got down, I went over the whole thing -- what if we had had to get out before I retrieved my goggles, etc.? Lynn knows my routine and felt that because of it there was no problem -- I reminded her that the routine is not always under my control; I then told her the bottom line -- if you see something, say something! I have done this with people far more experienced than I -- the reactions have been one of two: they were not aware of the problem I pointed out and thanked me, or they were aware of the situation and had a plan (like my goggles), but thanked me anyway for being alert. Never got laughed at or had someone get mad at me. I can't stress this too much -- if you see something, say something!

I don't think we have actually met, but yes, we are friends with all of the above. You may have seen us -- Lynn has a yellow FF suit with multicolored (blue/purple/pink/etc) bullseyes tie-dye painted on it; and I'm the FOG with ponytail and handlebar lmustache that accompanies her

Nah, Lynn has to work, and I'm going to be a good househusband...

Deland was really hopping today! We left early as Lynn's sinuses have not fully recovered, but at 1415 they had already put up 30 Otter/Skyvan loads and 8 Porter loads with no sign of slowing down...

Landable? The Safire simply needs a pilot who knows how to stage a flare, not just stab and jerk. It lands differently than other canopies, but I have never seen one that was not "landable".

well, there is that too...

Yeah, a couple times. Even made the convention tape (both a page and my mug) -- guess that must be my 15 minutes, huh?

We started skydiving after 27 -- will celebrate 34 years at the convention. The end is nowhere in sight.

***Has anyone trained their cat to use the bathrrom like in Meet the Parents?[\quote] No, but I had a male cat -- Nugyen Van Phred (Virtual beer to anyone who can cite the origin of that name) -- who hated to share the litter box, so he started using the toilet in the half bath that the litter box was in. Only used it to pee, though; he crapped on the floor -- trying to make a point, I guess.

Me --- May 19 -- Taurus Lynn -- April 4 -- Aries

Guess that makes me the least picky -- big surprise I'll eat just about anything and I like it both spicy and/or hot, depending on what's called for. About the only thing I don't care for is raw oysters, though I do love 'em fried or on a po' boy. I do eat cottage cheese, especially with chopped onions and chives, salt and black pepper. I'll try just about anything else except stinky cheese -- I love cheese in may forms, but the stuff you can smell three blocks waya? NAH! Sushi and sashimi is great, the fresher the better -- anyone ever have live octopus? Yum! Trouble is the little suckers kept grabbing my handlebars...

Dave, If you didn't meet Carrie, that is most assuredly your loss. Carrie, why don't you have a pic in your profile -- it'd help everyone take their minds of those gals in Texas (no offense, gals, ya'll look fine. But Carrie is here!)

14 -- hmmmm?! "I was nowhere near Oakland"

Once again, the thread devolved to BDSM but I don't see any references to dead sheep!

$8000 leg -- that's a cheapie, man! Mine is about $58,000 -- have a 12 inch titanium plate held on by nine inch and a half screws, 3 three inch screws in the head of my femur and 2 stainless steel "tie wraps" around the works. No rods, my femur exploded and the pieces that were left were not big enough or organized enough for one -- hence the plate (and the bone graft later to fill in the remaining hole). All the stuff is in there almost four years later, and yes, sometimes it hurts like hell. Will have them out possibly in April or after the convention, depending upon if it starts bothering me more.

No, not that anniversary -- that will be the second day of the convention (our 34th ann.) -- 7 years ago today, The Lovely Mother Lynn and I made our AFF Lvl I jumps. Dang, the past 7 years have been fun...

Well put also, Zennie. I have been where you (the original poster) are, but from _his_ viewpoint. The big difference is that I KNEW I was an asshole. Wanted to change, for myself as much as hers, and went and got the help I needed. Did it on my own volition and without her asking. Guess that's why I was able to reform enough to be able to stand myself and stayed in her good graces. Don't let my statements mislead you, if he hasn't made the same decision on his own by now, with all the flags you've raised, he never will. Cutaway now.