MikeJD
-
Content
2,741 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Feedback
0%
Everything posted by MikeJD
-
Hey, no bitching about the lost hour - it's a small price to pay for 6 months of light evenings. In fact, I'd have happily sacrificed that hour's sleep just for the pleasure of seeing the sun shining on London at 7pm yesterday. Feels like we've turned the corner. Roll on summer!
-
For scenery, of the places I've actually jumped: 1) Gap Tallard in France, in a valley at the foot of the Alps - especially early in the season when there still plenty of snow on the mountains, and you're looking down on skiers during the climb to altitude. It's also a strange perspective for those of used to jumping over pretty flat landscapes. Below about 4,000 ft everything suddenly becomes 3D! 2) Umm Al Quwain in the United Arab Emirates. On one side a lagoon and the sea, and on the other the desert. I'm sure there are more spectacular DZs but I haven't jumped at them.
-
How do you know he's making a shocked face? Maybe that's how he always looks. In which case, he'll be pretty offended if he stumbles on this thread.
-
I do know that dynamite propelled from the top of a cliff will momentarily hang suspended in mid-air before accelerating to explode at the same height as a freefalling coyote. Whether that applies to all dynamite or only the ACME brand, I couldn't say.
-
And if you don't want to start a neighborhood feud, get an electronic kit. I recently bought a Roland HD-1 set and I love it. Acoustic kit players (and even hardcore electronic players) will probably look down on it, but it's ideal for me - more affordable, compact and portable than a 'serious' kit, and it does pretty much the same job. Best of all, if you wear headphones there's no external noise other than the slight clatter of sticks on rubber. It's so convincing that I find myself grasping the cymbals to stop them from ringing (doesn't work, although it does on more expensive kits!) I'm no drummer, and since starting to teach myself I've got new respect for those who are. Having been a keyboard player and occasional guitarist, I can work two limbs independently on a good day. Four is a different matter altogether!
-
Germain's article on the recession
MikeJD replied to zipplewrath's topic in General Skydiving Discussions
I'm with DougH on this. I get weary with the implication that skydivers are a special breed, or that the non-skydiving population are somehow less evolved, or less capable, or less alive, than we are. What we do is special, and we're privileged to be able to do it, but I suspect it's mainly circumstance that got most of here. I know a lot of very different personalities in the sport - including many whom I don't think of as natural risk-takers, or athletes, or even clear thinkers . I think one of the things that keeps non-jumpers from testing the water is the myth, often perpetuated here, that you have to be super-courageous, or cool, or crazy, to take part. You don't. You just need a reasonable level of physical ability and mental ability, the capacity to learn, and spare time and money. -
Really sorry you lost your buddy. That's a long relationship, and it's very hard when it ends. Funny how our pets are so stoical when they get old and ill, and we're the ones who find it hard to deal with! It's nearly a year since I had to euthanise both of my cats, and it's partly the thought of having to go through that again that's kept me from replacing them.
-
What is this, I
-
Lazarus thread! I was surprised to see weegegirl's name - then I realised it was from 5 years ago...
-
I think I actually felt really calm. Maybe it was denial.
-
And then they'll call in their police helicopter. You mean you pay all that money and you don't get 'Little Nellie' rocket launchers?
-
It's cool! It's red! It's... $45,000 dollars. Would you settle for combined birthday and Christmas?
-
I'm a fan too. He's turned in some great performances. Some of his choices haven't been the best, but he always adds value whether it's a good movie or not. And he's versatile - capable of pulling off action and drama, but also very funny. HI McDunnough is my favourite comic character of all time. I'm starting to think there are very few truly great actors - most of them really are just clothes horses at the mercy of their writers and directors. I can't think how else to explain how the same star can be so good in one film and so bad in another.
-
I'll bite. How come there are no Irish posting here? Ok, Happy Paddy's Day to those of you with some kind of connection to The Old Country.
-
It isn't starting out to be a good day....[:|]
MikeJD replied to d_squared431's topic in The Bonfire
This thread is starting to look like a pitch for a sex comedy. -
It isn't starting out to be a good day....[:|]
MikeJD replied to d_squared431's topic in The Bonfire
I feel for you. Went to sit down with a cup of coffee at work once and just managed to drop the whole lot into my lap. Luckily it wasn't quite scalding, but it was one of those how did that just happen? moments. I had nothing to change into, no stores nearby to buy new trousers and no real way of cleaning up properly, so I just had to go home again. Unfortunately I hadn't driven in that day so I had to sit on the tube, still quite damp and issuing a distinctly cappucino smell. -
I didn't want to be a wet blanket by asking that in the St Patrick's Day thread. Is it safe to do so here?
-
If I go away for 7 months, what should I do about my cats?
MikeJD replied to SpeedRacer's topic in The Bonfire
If you can't find someone to sit both your house and your cats, but you can find someone who's willing to look after your cats at their home for the duration, it's worth looking into. 7 months is a pretty long time - cats don't like being re-homed but they should adjust pretty quickly, and if they're indoor-only then there shouldn't be any risk of them going missing or getting into fights in a strange neighbourhood. Much better that than being alone long term with only the occasional visitor, or being kept in 'kennels' or the equivalent. -
Whatever, naming rights bla bla bla. I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to bring it to England. Wasn't there a famous London bridge that was taken apart and sent to America and reassembled somewhere out west? Correct me on the details if I'm wrong. I'm just saying there's a precedent... No, I don't think it got taken apart. I believe it fell down. Either way, sounds like you've got nothin' to trade with.
-
Only if you're paid by the hour.
-
And to finance your endless summer?
-
No shit. For $250,000 a year I'd marry an anesthesiologist. You know, you might get lucky. I hear they actually let women do that job now.
-
Did you know that a popular name for that error is a grocer's apostrophe (or maybe a grocers' apostrophe, depending on how many grocers are guilty)? Your experience shows why!
-
Yep, that one drives me nuts too? The worst thing is, I'm not immune? Like, sometimes I catch myself doing it?
-
On the other hand, the counter assistant who insists on giving you verbal instructions while you're using the reader. "Please put your card in." "Please enter your PIN." Yes, I can read and I'm DOING IT, dammit! And when you're paying cash, the way assistants like to put the receipt on your hand and then drop your change onto it so it skates off in every direction. I can understand how if you're working in a shop all day you don't want to keep touching your customers, but still.