MikeJD

Yeah, I'd recommend this and doing a virus checker update and scan. A friend of mine had the same problem with her Hotmail account recently. She changed her password and the spam stopped.

What, no replies to this? I liked it, Jerry.

This reminded me of an old thread of mine. So I guess I'm the type of poster that surreptitiously uses other people's old threads to resurrect my own. Probably unsuccessfully.

Uh, no - I'm pretty sure it was cancer. Which also killed my dad, and he never exploited anybody. I don't feel particularly affected by Jobs' death, but it's sad for anyone to die so young. Like Skymama said, it's a reminder that success and wealth can't compete with good health.

Unfortunately once the media circus has got into gear I think it's almost impossible for anyone outside the case to make a completely objective judgement. Without the combination of a sex crime and a young and beautiful defendant, this probably would have been forgotten about in no time - and I expect journalists initially wanted her to be guilty because the murderous femme fatale makes for better press. Likewise they're happy for her to be innocent because a failed appeal wouldn't have made for much of a story, and now they can get some more mileage out of it. I do believe that nobody's better equipped than the jury on the case to make the right decision. Noone else gets to hear all the minutiae of evidence or watch the witnesses and experts being cross-examined. But of course the uncomfortable truth is that the legal system (in any country) is fallible. Either there was a miscarriage of justice when Knox was convicted, or there's been one with her acquittal. We can only hope it's the former. This whole affair reminds me of the Madeiline McCann story. Kids disappear all the time - which doesn't make her case any less tragic - but their stories don't have journalistic appeal. I felt sorry for all the other parents of missing children who didn't get the whole world looking for them. And again, her parents have ridden the rollercoaster of media and public opinion, from sympathy to vilification and back again.

They do?! For that much money I think I'd want it packed into a container and certified as jumpable! I guess it's a little too late now for your local DZ to have any old round kit lying around, but if they did I'd expect them to be giving it away by now.

Back to anatomy class for you.

In 1988 I saw a magazine advert for charity static line parachute jumps. I honestly can't remember whether I'd had any ambition to don a parachute before that, but as a kid I'd been fascinated by aviation and in one of my books there was an illustration of the Red Devils parachute display team in freefall that had always held my gaze. I also had the Red Devils costume for my Action Man figure (our version of GI Joe). That was super cool because it came with a working parachute - except for the one time it didn't work, his legs broke off at the knees and he had to be splinted and invalided to German sentry duty for the rest of his days. Anyway, I digress. I signed up for the charity thing, went along with a friend to Cranfield Parachute Club and made my first round jump from the strut of a Cessna 182. I then went on to make another six jumps, but at some point in the interim my friend broke his ankle (he forgot the 'feet and knees together' bit) - and since he couldn't carry on and I didn't know anyone else there, I gradually lost enthusiasm. Fast forward to 1991 when I watched a movie you may be familiar with, about bank robbing surfers who also indulge in a little skydiving during their time off - and I realised what I'd been missing by giving up so easily. So I phoned around a few DZs, discovered this new-fangled teaching method they were calling AFF and booked myself onto a course. Did my Level 1 jump in September 1992, and from then on I just couldn't get enough. Here I am 19 years later, still waiting for that 3-minute freefall I saw in the movie, and financing my endless summer - or as we call it in the UK, 'one week in July' - by sitting in front of a laptop rather than vaulting counters with a sawn-off shotgun. But on the whole, no regrets!

And did it work? Because I'd guess that an impending doomsday would bring out the worst rather than the best in people. Or maybe it would just polarise behaviour - some people would find religion, others would just shut themselves off, still others would loot, rape and murder. Interesting to ponder that, though.

Bizarre opportunistic homophobic comment aside, how do you define 'adult activity' in this context? Isn't skydiving an adult activity? Isn't driving a car? People die on the roads every day, often in view of children. Unlike BASE jumpers, those unfortunate drivers often take their children with them.

I used to wear gloves only in winter, but now I wear them on every jump - no matter how hot it is. Can't remember how I started doing that, but I know I'd feel naked without them now. If I ever think about jumping without gloves, I only have to consider how quickly I get through them - I find they wear out very quickly indeed. Grabbing rails and risers, popping visors with numb fingers, botching a landing - there's plenty of potential for damage to your hands, even if it's only minor. I only ever wear summer weight gloves, though, even on the coldest days. I find they're still enough to keep my hands from freezing and I hate the thought of not being able to feel handles through thick leather.

As others have said, it looks to me like you've already answered your own question and are just looking for validation. It reads as though you're afraid that 'officially' giving up jumping will make you a lesser person in some way. It won't. You wouldn't think it to read these forums, but there's a whole world of other adventurous and not-so-adventurous stuff out there that's every bit as 'valid' as skydiving. Choose something that works for you without compromise.

...When love walks in the room Everybody stand up Oh it's good, good, good Say I love you, I love you, I love you I love you, I love you, I love you... Of course, she also sang 'Bad boys get spanked'. I do like that woman's attitude.

At first when I see you cry It makes me smile Yeah it makes me smile At worst I feel bad for a while But then I just smile I go ahead and smile La-la la la-la la la-la la la-la la la-la la. Lily Allen.

Funny how 'old school' high-altitude BASE looks now when it doesn't involve wingsuits.

Just be grateful when they don't spell it 'shoot'. By the way, someone in another forum is probably complaining about your ignorance of their favourite sport right now.

For someone who's 'not much of a storyteller', you're doing a fine job! The description of your first jump in particular brought it all back to me. I think the two things you don't really anticipate are the noise and the wind. If they don't already, they should tell first timers 'It's going to be very noisy and very windy!' I started out on S/L rounds before graduating to AFF. To this day I vividly remember climbing out of that 182 for the first time, watching my own hands and feet as though they belonged to someone else. Some degree of brain shutdown is typical, and I'm sure you're noticing as you jump more that your consciousness gets ever closer to 'normal.' Good luck with the rest of your progression!

Very nicely written.

Or take advantage of the crazies, but get a more secure hutch for his pet rabbit.

"Ditto."

That's an impressive bit of hardware! :) You obviously had a more cautious attitude than most - but frankly I think a lot of jumpers never really consider the risk at all. Oh, and I'll happily 'upgrade' to my own tuna boat-sized canopy one day, if it keeps me jumping without repeatedly pounding my aging body into the ground!

It has not been 20 years has it? My God. That doesn't seem possible...

Roughly translated as: You're the first (guy who's been unable to satisfy me). You're the biggest (asshole I know). You're the best (reason I've had for becoming a lesbian).

So what you're saying is... What are you saying? Never mind.

You sent that yourself. Didn't you?