Nightingale

That pic of the 18th century bloomers... they look crotchless.

hehe... tell ya what... I'll paypal you the $3, and then you can use it on the game. That way, you're not spending your money on the game, and I'm not spending the money on the game, I'm giving it to you, neither of us will be one of those idiots who spends money on a free online game.

I miss Deuce... He was always able to jump in with a witty comment, and he had GREAT stories!

A lot of places don't take AmEx, but I prefer it anyway. Better customer service if there is a problem.

I had a wings certificate that I'd won in a raffle, and I didn't want to use it (I'd just bought my gear), and I mentioned it to a friend. He did the math on what he was actually saving between using the certificate and buying through a dealer, and we split the difference. He still saved money, and I had some pocket money for jump tickets.

I don't think there should be a qualification at all, beyond citizenship, but if we were going to put a qualification, I think high school would be better than military.

Anyone know if there's a way to accept donations less than $25 online? Or should I just have them paypal it to me and then bring it in cash the day of the Walk?

Our team has $710 in donations so far!!!

Again, a good idea for people who know something about skydiving, but I don't think whuffos will get it.

probably in the 80s. We tend to get a heat wave around Halloween, and then another around Christmas.

What really confuses me is that, according to Christianity, God is the one who set the rules, so he is the one who decided his son needed to die to save everyone, right? So, then everyone talks about it like it was this big sacrifice, when it wouldn't have happened at all unless God wanted it to happen, and if God wanted it to happen and decided it should happen, how is it a sacrifice at all?

The first mistake my birth mother made regarding me was producing me in the first place. I was very clearly an "oops!" On the other hand, my mom CHOSE to be that, despite clear knowledge of how tough that would be. What's a better demonstration of love, a drunken sportfuck without protection? Or assumption of parental responsibilities for a fucked up teenage boy? I feel the exact opposite of abandoned, as my mom demonstrated the kind of love that only a true parent has the capacity for. Blues, Dave Exactly! Knowing all the hoops my parents had to jump through, all the money they had to put out, and all the chaos that came into their lives because they wanted a child really makes me feel special. They couldn't just pop out a kid, but because they really wanted me, they had to go way above and beyond what most parents have to do. Knowing that someone was willing to do this because they wanted me so badly certainly doesn't make me feel abandoned! My mom loves to tell the story about when they found out they were going to be able to adopt me. The agency had told my parents there was a waiting list of a year or two, so "don't expect anything soon." Three months later, they get a call saying "we have a daughter for you. come pick her up tomorrow." I was only a few days old. Now, my dad is a guy who likes everything planned out. He's very level-headed and not the type to panic. He examines a situation and deals with it. And my dad freaked out. He rushed my mom into the van, drove them to Sears (braving the christmas rush at the mall), completely panicked and grabbed the first salesperson he saw, saying "HELP! We're adopting a baby tomorrow and...tell us what we need to buy!" Several hours later, they had absolutely everything, the van was stuffed to the gills, and my dad stayed up all night getting everything just right. I do still resent whoever had the bright idea to stick a bright red bow on my head and put me under the christmas tree to take a picture, though. Now THAT was humiliating.

Like I said, I've made myself very easy to find (as in a two minute search on the internet) for anyone with the right information who is looking. If they want to find me, they will, and I have no objection to meeting them. I just don't have any real desire to meet them either. I think I've put thought into being adopted mainly because people ask me questions about it, and make comments like "have you met your real parents?" and "how does it feel knowing your mom didn't want you?" My real parents are the people who parented me, and calling them anything less than "real" is an insult to all they've done for me, all the hard work it was to raise me (I was soooo not an easy kid!), and all the sacrifices they've made along the way. My biological mother was a teenager who made some stupid decisions about sex, but a smart decision about who should raise the resulting kid (I got all that from the adoption file my mom gave me). She wanted me to have a good life that she couldn't give me, and I really appreciate that, but ultimately, she's not my real mom.

I think education is a better indicator, but not the only one. However, I think that having requirements other than just being a citizen is pretty stupid, because, like you point out, there are so many factors.

Excellent post. You rag on him for making a "simplistic comparison", charging that "it completely ignores all other variables." Then you do the exact same thing. Excellent post, indeed. Seems like he was trying to contribute an additional variable to the discussion, rather than exclude all other variables. How is the murder rate in the UK a relevant variable to the murder rate in the US? Because it might be worth it to take a look at countries with low homicide rates, see what factors contribute to them, and whether or not it's practical to implement their systems here. Just because they're a foreign country doesn't mean they have nothing to teach us.

Wow... I just read the reviews for that book... the reviews describe adopted people as "conflicted" with "feelings of abandonment" with a "subconscious fear of abandonment and trust"... that makes no sense to me. I don't feel abandoned or conflicted. I have a wonderful family that's been with me every step of the way. Something I've noticed: I've met a lot of adoptees, and from what I've observed, adoptees that have major issues with being adopted seem to have found out when they're over age seven or eight, after they've had time to begin to develop their own identity and perception of who they are. For them, there was this big moment of "surprise! you're adopted!" and then they develop all these issues of "my mom and dad aren't my mom and dad!" or "my real mom abadoned me!" or "I'm not who I thought I was!" I've never, ever had these thoughts. My mom and dad did not hide the fact that I was adopted. Ever. I grew up with age-appropriate definitions for adoption, and even when I was too young to talk, my mom would pick me up and say "We're so glad we adopted you!" So I grew up knowing the word, what it meant, and that I was adopted, so there was never this "you're adopted!" surprise moment for me. There was never any shock at all, and being adopted is simply part of who I am. My mom and dad could not possibly love me more if I was theirs biologically. They made sure I understood that, and that genetics truly did not matter. I'm their kid, and they're my parents, and that's the end of it.

I don't have any resentment at all towards my birth parents. I appreciate what they did for me. I'm not going to go out and look for them, because I have a wonderful family, so I don't feel like there's "something missing" that compels me to search for them. However, I have seen what some of my adopted friends have gone through to search for their biological parents, so I have made myself extremely easy to find, should anyone with the proper information want to find me. I'm not going looking, but I'm not going to avoid meeting them if they want to meet me.

If it weren't for skydiving, our group wouldn't be walking together. I think it's okay to represent who we are, along with what we're doing.

Seems to me that people who have served have earned the right to salute the flag any way they want to.

Excellent post. You rag on him for making a "simplistic comparison", charging that "it completely ignores all other variables." Then you do the exact same thing. Excellent post, indeed. Seems like he was trying to contribute an additional variable to the discussion, rather than exclude all other variables.

Of course I do. It just really irritates me when people use the term "real mom" or "real dad" as if the people who raised me are some kind of fakes. My real mom and dad are the people who have been there for me my whole life.

I think a high school diploma (including classes in critical thinking, the scientific method, constitutional law, and history of the founding of our nation) would be a better qualification. That way, we can be sure that people can read and understand our constitution and the intentions behind it. Military service, while noble, doesn't mean that someone is capable of looking at a law, examining the effects it may have, and making a rational (rather than emotional) decision whether or not to vote for it.

I'm on sign duty. Y'all decide on the shirt. Kris, do we still want room for stickers on the sign? I'm not sure. Lets wait until closer to the event?

The size is better, but the jumper looked better where you had him before. Now, the balance looks off.

Yep. That one. Lets go with that concept, if nobody objects.... Can we make the canopy and jumper a little bigger, just for recognition?