NickDG

I've always had an interest in music but it was listening to Harley at Perris that finally got me fired up enough to pick up an instrument. For all his problems that ultimately led to his death Harley was incredibly talented . . . I've been playing a couple of years now and I can kinda keep up and even yell "Woo Hoo!" once in a while. So now all we need is a drummer and another guitar player and we can start touring DZs. ********"ONE NIGHT ONLY"************ SKYBYTCH & THE FABULOUS LACKLUSTERS !!! (We'll also need some chicken wire to ward off the flying beer bottles) NickD

Except for "six seater" I'm not sure what A/C he was flying, but me and a friend of mine were out tooling around in a C-172 when the windscreen imploded. The headliner came down over our heads and for few minutes we were like two monkeys in a burlap sack trying to get control of the A/C. And neither of us were cut by the Plexiglas windscreen which came apart in big chunks. But I would have killed for a pair of goggles . . . NickD

And still the best . . . http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=642_1231453647 NickD

My raw HHI Triple Trees came today! They are way better than the Ultima ones I had. Real beefy! I'll get them mounted up tomorrow . . . Also, just when you thought you've seen everything, there's this - Tat-Boobs . . . !!! NickD

Good Gawd, what a pansy ass sport its become . . . And while I'm sure there are some exceptions most drunken riggers (and aren't they all) observe the green light rule. I even know a couple that have actual green and red lights mounted on a wall in their lofts. The red light burns during shop hours and then the green light is switched on. Also most alcoholics I know in skydiving will tell you, "Thank god for skydiving or I'd be drinking 24 hours a day." And gee whiz, many of you wouldn't have survived the 70s when everyone was doing heroin, the 80s when everyone was smoking pot, or the 90s when everyone was snorting coke. And all through that time I've never heard of a case where a "flying" rigger killed someone . . . NickD

I get a piece I wrote many years ago for the B.A.S.E. equipment manufacturer, Basic Research, and the thumbnail below . . . http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.basicresearch.com/images/smithsonian_v1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.basicresearch.com/base_history.htm&usg=__VTz0gg6rv2RRoZk-d4F8BTJHMlg=&h=242&w=231&sz=13&hl=en&start=4&sig2=4SEnSdniTVOF7XEgVdZh2g&tbnid=gvOQM0fDPk1qTM:&tbnh=110&tbnw=105&ei=XghpSZy8Eo70sAP8q_SVAw&prev=/images%3Fq%3DNick%2BDi%2BGiovanni%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26newwindow%3D1%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG NickD

Of course I meant "Jan Meyer" not Jan Davis. Just got off a 12 hour shift on the Ambulance when I posted. Lotta "Jans" in the sport . . . NickD

"SKYDIVING" all the way . . . NickD

I think on the landing (coming down). He actually remarked he thought his hand was broken. And it makes it all the more remarkable he "stood up" the landing. The only other thing you missed (audio wise) was he said a number of times, "I'm living life to the max!" That's SO nineties . . . NickD

>>she looks pretty concerned.

Worked on my taillight/license plate holder but I still have to finish the top contours so no pickies yet. But I'm having second thoughts on the S&S 96" motor . . . For less money I can get either an Ultima "El Bruto" 120" or "127". Here's the specs . . . Ultima 120 Bore: 4.25” Stroke: 4.25” Piston: Forged Compression: 9.8:1 Rated Power: 130RW Horsepower 135 LB FT Torque Camshaft: .640” lift Pushrods: Crane Valve Spring: Ultima® Chrome Nose Cone / Rocker Boxes Billet Oil Pump Chrome Tappet Blocks Ignition included on assembled engines. Ultima 127" Bore: 4.25” Stroke: 4.5” Piston: Forged Compression: 10.2:1 Rated Power: 140RW Horsepower 140 LB FT Torque Camshaft: .640” lift Pushrods: Crane Valve Spring: Ultima Chrome Nose Cone / Rocker Boxes Billet Oil Pump Chrome Tappet Blocks Ignition included on assembled engines. Here's a review on the new 127": http://www.hotbikeweb.com/tech/0504hb_ultima_engine_review/index.html Prices: Any size (in natural finish) is $4350 from Steel Thunder: http://www.steelthundercc.com/ultimaengines.html 100 CI Complete Engine * 298-250 - Complete 100 CI Engine, Natural Finish ... $4,350.00 * 298-251 - Complete 100 CI Engine, Black Finish ... $4,495.00 * 298-252 - Complete 100 CI Engine, Polished Finish ... $4,850.00 113 CI Complete Engine * 298-253 - Complete 113 CI Engine, Natural Finish ... $4,350.00 * 298-254 - Complete 113 CI Engine, Black Finish ... $4,495.00 * 298-255 - Complete 113 CI Engine, Polished Finish ... $4,850.00 120 CI Complete Engine - NOW AVAILABLE! * 298-256 - Complete 120 CI Engine, Natural Finish ... $4,350.00 * 298-257 - Complete 120 CI Engine, Black Finish ... $4,495.00 * 298-258 - Complete 120 CI Engine, Polished Finish ... $4,850.00 127 CI Complete Engine * 298-272 - Complete 127 CI Engine, Natural Finish ... $4,350.00 * 298-273 - Complete 127 CI Engine, Black Finish ... $4,495.00 * 298-274 - Complete 127 CI Engine, Polished Finish ... $4,850.00 The S&S 96" price (best I've found): S&S 96" Eng. Nat. & Chrome SS Ign $4486.90 (for a 100 HP motor). And the local indie guy I spoke with said S&S is raising their prices (which in this economy is nuts). Ulitma had some probs with vibration in the beginning (they are now balancing all their cranks) and overall reliability is getting good marks. And, of course, they are American made. Man, with that Ultima 127" you'd get 140 HP right out of the box, that's gotta pull like a friggin freight train. I'm sitting here grinning just thinking about it! NickD

I'll admit once he landed on the roof I thought, oh yeah, let's see you do it the other way. And I about died when he did . . . NickD

http://espn.go.com/action/fmx/blog?post=3803534 NickD

Most of you, except maybe John Rich, won't remember this one . . . PARACHUTIST (not in on it) ran an advert where the first letter on each line of ad copy was this, and it stood for something specific. E S A D R N And those letters stood for? Anyone? NickD

Okay, I'll look into the POR-15, thanks . . . NickD

Canidates may earn the USPA Tandem Instructor rating who have met all the following requirements: A. Reached the age of 18 years B. Holds or has held any USPA instructional rating C. Earned a USPA D license or the FAI equivalent D. Logged 500 jumps on a ram-air canopy E. Three years in the sport (Those with five are already too smart to bother with this rating). F-u. Willing to be the meat inside a death sandwich . . . NickD

Having coffee and getting ready to attack today's to do list . . . While I'm waiting for parts to come in I need to get the rust out of my fatbob tanks as they've been sitting in my garage for a couple of years. I'm either going to go the chemical route or put some BBs inside them, wrap them in foam padding, and put them into the clothes dryer to tumble. Finally I'll Kreem them . . . In the meantime . . . http://s158.photobucket.com/albums/t109/Chrizzby/?action=view¤t=Bornblindbut.flv NickD

LOL, that fridge is a spare and not in use. And the "bungee" is actually a chain. We have two small children that live next door! NickD

I either answer or not. I've never told anyone to "do a search." Skydiving (and most other things) are dynamic and answers change. And when people don't ask a question because they dread the "do a search" it stifles new points of view. Sure, some questions and comments are very redundant, "Check out this guy Lutz," or, "How do I pencil pack correctly," or, "Help, my landings suck!" But searches only get you background. And I don't know about the rest of you but every time I tell a story it gets better. For instance on the "Lutz" thing I don't mind re-telling the story because I was on that load with another student. And what I may have written about it last year, or the year before, and the year before that may have softened, or hardened, depending on new experiences in my life. I think the phrase "do a search" should actually be banned. Either answer or ignore the question. I stopped answering the most basic student type questions figuring a new generation of instructors will step up. And a student is a student and an instructor is an instructor no matter if we are talking over a packing mat or over the internet. If redundant questions bother you, LOL, don't ever go for your Instructor rating! Or how about Shana Richardson? That one just popped up again in the bonfire. We all bagged on her pretty good the first time around and that's the impression a "search" will give someone who's never heard of her. But now some are now saying, "Hey, wait a minute, she's just a student for Christ sakes!" And guess what? That point of view is valid. She is just a student and her behavior in the air, and in the aftermath, belies that. Plus every time it pops up someone new, someone we've never heard from before who was there, or who sat the FJC with her, or actually knows her, may chime in and we get new insights. That won't happen if the OP fears asking about it in the first place . . . NickD

>>I attached a pic of the "Forever Project."

>>Nope, what he really needs are all new leathers with a huge HOG patch on the back. Full face helmet and job as a doctor or lawyer is extra. You also need to buy every damned thing that Kurykun (SP?) has that you can easily bolt onto the bike.

Not much physical progress in the last few days, I switched to nights on the ambulance and it's got me really messed up. But between calls I can check out possible B.A.S.E. jumps downtown easy enough . . . LOL - there's always a silver lining . . .

Seems like all I get is Elmer and Gluebags! Heathrow to San Francisco on Virgin Atlantic with some pros . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHmIR1JJXyw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UUQr6T4EZ0&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnTBw1JPjow&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EqXNXWxWdk&feature=related [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EqXNXWxWdk&feature=related NickD

Got the front end on . . My job is really getting in the way of progress, but no work = no parts, so oh well . . . I decided to forgo the internal fork stops and just use the external ones since this front end was set up for both. I had to do some machining on the neck cups to get them to work but its good to go. My garage is getting smaller, I went on a spree at Sears today and bought myself a free standing grinder/wire wheel and a good drill press. It's funny how the same kick you got as a young boy getting toys is now exactly the same with tools . . . Tomorrow I'm going to build myself a poor man's wheel & tire balancer and start on two other projects that might work or might not. I'm going to try and build a taillight out of shot glass and also a round oil tank out of two cut in half fire extinguishers . . . I've got a front fender coming in the mail. I'd rather go without one, but it will help stiffen up the front end. I'm also fabing up a rear fender out of a nine inch wide trailer fender that I bought online for 20 bucks, LOL. Thinking about brakes now, and since I'm older and thinking of stopping more than going, they'll be big bucks . . . NickD

Real sweet Phatbob bagger . . . Bro! And, yup, I'd woulda layed the tires out on in the sun to loosen 'em up but it's freaking cold as hell and actually snowing here - in California !!! . . . NickD