Nightingale

Paris is nice... they do a pretty good job of creating atmosphere. not a lot to do there, though, other than gamble. The gardens at the mirage are fun, so are some of the exhibits at the luxor. Cirque du soleil is at the bellagio, and the star trek exhibit at the hilton is a definite must-see if you're at all a trekkie.

nothing in vegas is cheap, but if you're gambling at a table, beer (and other drinks) are free, because they want to get you drunk so you lose more money. Places I like: New York,New York Paris Luxor Orleans Places I don't like: Tropicana Anything in North Los Vegas

I'm still on student status (but only til saturday, provided the weather's good! three more jumps!) I know my instructors would do EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER, within reason, to try to pull for me if for some reason I could not pull for myself. I hope they would not compromise their own safety to do so, because ultimately the safety of my own life lies with me. I know for a fact that they HAVE pulled for me. I couldn't find the hackey on my AFF 1, and Shelly pulled for me after I grabbed her altimeter a couple of times instead of the hackey. Did I rely on her to pull? NO. I'd have made one more grab at it, and then gone for the reserve, like I'd been taught. Under normal circumstances, will a JM pull a student having problems? Yes, unless something really weird happens. Under problem circumstances, they will do their best, but again, the life of the skydiver is in his or her own hands.

sigh... 0:0:0 no skydives. no sex. but I did get to ride a snowmobile for the first time! that was really cool! Even if we did flip it over twice and I hit my head and on the back of the seat during a REALLY bumpy part and fell off! (hey, it was -13 degrees and in near white-out weather! my hands were frozen... holding on was getting a wee bit difficult at this point). Wasn't as bad as my folks did, though. My parents ran the snowmobile off the side of the trail and down about 20 feet! oopsie.

1. figure out where you want to go. specifically. not just "I want a better job" or whatever. something like "I want to work as a real-estate agent." you need to be very specific about what you want, or you'll never figure out how to get there. 2. figure out how to get there. baby steps. list every single little step you need. plans are good things! GOOD LUCK!!!!!

or the time where the kid discovers that a PBJ sandwich fits perfectly into the video cassette slot on the VCR... or that an ENTIRE BOX of raisins (sans box) fits into the tape player in your car...

if you're not happy- send out resumes. job hunt until you can make a lateral transfer or better to somewhere else. you have a job that's paying your bills right now. that means you can afford to be picky. keep sending out resumes and making calls til something you like comes along. and in the meantime (and future) go to school and get a degree. in ANYTHING. having a degree opens up so many doors. Several folks I work with are just as skilled as I am, with just as much work experience. However, I make $20,000 more than they do. The only difference? I spent four years (okay, three, I finished early) earning a degree. Should I stay at my current job, my college will have paid for itself in four and a half years. And I went to a damn expensive private school (and yes, I worked my ass off to pay for it). Sure, not everyone finds themselves in a similar situation, but its good to have options in life, and there are many employers who won't even speak to you if you don't have a degree. I have good friends who finished high school with me and went straight into a job, and friends who started college and never finished. almost every one of them now, at age 25 or 26 says that they wish they'd finished, not because they're very unhappy with their current lives, but because they'd have more opportunities if they had a degree.

yup... musicians LOVE to pick on drummers, but they really are the heartbeat of a band.

Rush is a great band! I started listening to their stuff in college (which was only a few years ago! LOL). They have an awesome drummer, too.

well... some fun places to hang out in california are, of course disneyland, 3rd street promenade in Santa Monica (bout 1.5 hour drive), venice beach (again, bout 1.5 hr drive). There really aren't any "hang out" places in perris, that I've found. Seems most folks head into OC or LA for their fun.

nothing wrong with falling in love with a good person, at any age. BUT... two questions.... does the baby already have a father figure? If so, that person will want to be in the child's life. Take that into consideration. If not... Are you ready to be a dad, if it comes to that? You're not just dating the mother, you're also involved with the child. they're a package deal.

{{{{{{{VIBES}}}}}}}}}}

I wasn't referring to public schools in general. I know the public school he went to, and frankly, its a pretty scary place. Lots of gangs and violence, and not a lot of funding. Public schools can absolutely provide excellent education. Again, I wasn't referring to a generality, but rather to the specific school the child went to.

do you really want to live in a world where the average person is illiterate?

I'd jumped with gloves before during AFF. the school's gloves are just really worn out and don't help a whole lot. I bought the same kind of gloves, only new.

I agree with Lisa. Not dying sounds about right to me. learning how to land would be up there too.

as a grad student, I say go and have fun... BUT: Contact ALL your professors in advance, let them know you are going to be in the class (so they don't drop you), and obtain copies of the course syllabi and do your schoolwork to stay caught up. I've had to do this before, and they all understood. Just tell them you "have to be out of town." and most won't question any further.

three years ago, I resolved to never make another new years resolution. that is the ONLY resolution I've ever kept. my reasoning: if something's wrong, why wait til new year's to fix it? fix it as soon as you notice there's an issue!

on my sunset load jump at perris last saturday, by the time it came to land, my arms were numb up to the elbows from the cold. needless to say, I could barely flare, and my landing was NOT pretty. sigh. I have since purchased my own gloves, and will be layering them with 1. glove liners, 2. latex gloves, and 3. the actual glove. hopefully I'll be able to feel my fingers next time.

sigh. I wish I was jumping today, but alas, I am stuck indoors staring out the window at the windsock on top of the police building, and mentally figuring out landing patterns.

I did 22, but I just started at the end of september!

cool! thanks so much for all the replies, everyone!!!!

and I gave you a reason why your "solution" wasn't a solution at all, because it defeats the very spirit of teaching, which is to give EVERY child an educational opportunity.

yep. its open.

same situation, no hospital.