PalmettoTiger

Any problem with your gear's emergency systems requires immediate attention. Blues, squares, PTiger

Has anyone else noticed the post count going up, at least in Talkback, since Sangiro put that list of the top posters in the Pub? Whether it's random coincidence or not, if I don't check the boards twice at work there's too many for me to read at night... Of course, Heaven Forbid that I not read every single post in Talkback, and give my smartass answer to 20% of them.

Skreamer, skreamer [ptiger shakes his head]... A good addict would do whatever it takes to make it to the first (BEER!) DZ.com Happy Hour. Like, say, going to bed a little earlier and getting up a little earlier so you can catch the last hour of it. Hee hee... Skreamer is the bad addict. Blues, squares, PTiger

It was uncanny - I could barely understand what you were talking about. Just like those two. No offense to Snuffy or Pienut, er Peanut if you happen to be reading this. It's all in good fun. Blues, squares, PTiger

That's okay - it just means you know your emergency procedures so well that you can do them in your sleep! Blues, squares, PTiger

Dude, I was thinking the same thing. WHAT HAVE I BEGUN? No seriously - the difference between here and wreckdot is that these forums have a designated area for messing around and a designated area for serious inquiries, and the two don't usually get jumbled up with each other. Blues, squares, PTiger

If I ever get reincarnated, I want to come back as a crocodile in the Outback... I've watched Steve Irwin's show, I know all his tricks, and one day I'll surprise the hell outta him. Blues, squares, PTiger

Mmmmm tasty! wawawawawawawawawawawawawawawawawawawawawawawawa I think Princeton is the only place where it's referred to as "the 'Wa" and not "the Wawa." Once at X-Keys, people looked at me funny when I tried to explain where the nearest ATM was. "The 'Wa up the road." "The what?" "The 'Wa." "What's a wa?" "You know, the convenience store." "Oh, the Wawa." "Yeah, that's what I said!!"

Donna's got the right idea. The best nicknames are only earned by doing something incredibly embarassing. So watch him closely, and once it happens tell us all about it. And try to get video, too. Blues, squares, PTiger

The problem is that it becomes very easy for the dumb 'Anonymous' to imitate the smart 'Anonymous.' And since nearly everyone who participates in these discussions gives us a name, posting anonymously gives us the impression that you have something to hide. Whether that's fair or not, that's the way it is. Emma, your rant was priceless! I'm going to have to get that framed or something. I still try and stay conversant with my whuffo friends, but even when I talk about my other two main interests, politics and technology, they tune me out. So it's all the same in the end. I think Anonymous is right about needing to respect your friends' pursuits as well as your own. But it's still tough for me. I definitely prefer the company of skydivers to the company of whuffos. Blues, squares, PTiger

I think it was a Georgia Tech jumper who said "You know those dreams where you're falling? You consider them nightmares. I consider them a tease." Very cool quote. I always wanted to be a fighter pilot so those are the only "flying" dreams I ever had. But I don't remember my dreams very clearly unless I've had a solid 9 hours of sleep for a few days in a row. My first year in college I never had any dreams until I went home on break because I was always sleep-deprived. I had some really freaky dreams (not nightmares) once, and they shocked me so much that I started sleep-depriving myself again. Blues, squares, PTiger

I haven't really felt the kinship with other sports yet. I think it's because I've always been turned off by "extreme" sports. It's like they (and the TV and marketing crews) are trying to convince us that we can be so much cooler if we just inject danger into our lives. (no comments from the peanut gallery, please. I know skydivers are cooler than whuffos , but not because of the danger...) I did see a stomach-turning landing video over the weekend, as well as one of those "Alternative PLFs" - you know, Feet-Knees-Chest-Chin rather than Feet-Calves-Thigh-Hip-Back. The APLF was by one of the tandem masters that I really respect. It was the sunset load, and he got caught in a funky downdraft we think was caused by turbulence near some trees. He came in at a moderate speed, and as he flared his canopy just kept going down at the same rate. I could hear the thump from 150 yards away. He was okay though, just got the wind knocked out of him. (No pun intended.) The TM's landing was scary because of the video I had seen the night before. An experienced jumper came in hot on a hook turn, and slammed into the bank of a drainage ditch that separates the landing area from the runway area. He did a flip OVER his slider and then his canopy caught air again and jerked him back. As he was halfway through the flip the dust cloud from the impact was already at his end cells. Luckily he survived and was conscious the entire time. He now has more pins than a bowling alley (but probably bigger balls too). Sorry to hijack this "family comfort" thread with a nasty landing... just had to talk about it an opportunity presented itself. Blues, squares, PTiger

I came pretty close - it took me 10 months to do 6 jumps, 3 of which were repeats. Then I finished AFF in 20 hours - did my level IV repeat (and passed, thank God) on the sunset load one Friday, slept at the DZ, and did my AFF V, VI, and VII by 3 pm Saturday. If you can get 2 or 3 jumps in per day DO IT!! It helps your learning curve so much, not just because you don't have to dredge up the memories of what you did well and badly last time, but also because you're not nearly as nervous on the way up and in the door if you've already had 1 successful jump that day. Blues, squares, PTiger

I apologize sincerely for whatever distress I may have caused Skreamer and any other Seth Efrikans for insinuating that they, and not American Southerners, talk funny. Now just don't get distressed - you might do something crazy like jumping out of an airplane. Blues, squares, PTiger

At Cross Keys, there's a golf course that has consented to being an "out" area, as long as folks don't land on the greens. One of the videos on Monkey Claw's website has someone swooping onto the golf course. It makes the whole video worth the wait - if you're going to land out, you might as well do it with style!! Blues, squares, PTiger

Now it's 9:50 on the East Coast... I'm at "work" and still "working" on my third serving of Drug-in-a-Mug™. Hmm... breakfast... favorite is a tie between these 3: A) 3 bowls of Lucky Charms with whole milk 2) An apple pancake from the Original Pancake House. It's basically an apple pie that they serve with pancakes on the side. IV) anything my mom cooks on Sunday mornings. mmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmm tasty. Blues, squares, PTiger

Dude, I don't think you're in any position to make fun of Fairynut's oops Wingnut's typing. You Seth Efrikans and your accents... Blues, squares, PTiger

Hey Dutch, have you seen one too many carpal tunnel-related Workman's Comp. claims coming through? Blues, squares, PTiger

Rest of the load: "Somebody set up us the Skreamer!!" Skreamer: "All your nose are belong to me! " Blues, squares, PTiger

Explaining the safety procedures and not telling cutaway stories are good places to start. My family isn't thrilled about it, but they see that maniacal gleam in my eye every time I talk about skydiving so they know they'll never get me to stop. I've also explained about reserve repack cycles and emergency procedures and innovative gear like the 3-ring release system, so they're beginning to understand that skydiving acutally can be safer than many other pursuits. I think it took them a while to get past the "falling at 110 mph" aspect of the sport. If you got video of your first jump (and if your landing was a stand-up) show it to them a few times - on my video I'm yelling and screaming and generally having more fun than any of them have had in the past 2 years, and you can tell. I also managed not to fall over on landing. Seeing how much fun I had and that you're not biffing in under round parachutes also helped bring my family around. Blues, squares, PTiger

I think Gold Wings holders deserve the respect to not be cased, but the coolest ones are gracious enough to occasionally buy. Blues, squares, PTiger

Sis, if you're at all interested in the Carolinas, Columbia has 1 decent university and four dropzones w/in a 2 hour drive. I've only been to one of the DZs but with four to choose from you're almost guaranteed to find one with the right mix of freeflying and RW experts. Charleston is also relatively close to 3 dropzones that I know of and has some good colleges. Another idea is the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area in NC. Wake Forest, Duke, UNC, and NC State are all good schools so you're bound to find at least one that's strong in the program you're majoring in. It's also between Carolina Sky Sports (you know, the one whose CASA seems to be in half of the videos you see) and Raeford. Not to mention that you'd be very close to the Golden Knights, too! I don't know if any of the Carolinas DZs are as crazy as yer Texas DZ but maybe if you set the proper example for them, they would get the idea. Blues, squares, PTiger

Your hand is just tired of the same terrain every morning, every bathroom break, every lunch hour, every early afternoon, every evening, every night, and every other time you're reasonably sure you won't get caught. Blues, squares, PTiger

Skip - glad to hear you've found the answer to that little question "what am I going to do with the rest of my life?" Welcome to the forums, and welcome to skydiving. Blues, squares, PTiger

Josh - have you ever thought about bringing a friend (skydiver or whuffo, doesn't matter) along with you for encouragement? You might be better off if you have someone else to back up your resolve. Blues, squares, PTiger