steve1

There seems to be several SF people on here, so I thought I'd ask. Anybody know what happened to Barry Saddler? He wrote and sang this back in the 70's. Last I heard he was up on murder charges. I guess he spent too much time in Vietnam. I remember reading an article of his in a gun magazine. It stated that he preferred the AK-47 over the M-16 for jungle combat. So anyhow, I was wondering if he's still around....Steve1

We're all rooting for you, Bill. Say hello to Hod for me....Steve1

I haven't read all the posts on this one, but couldn't wait to jump in. I'm no longer a teacher, and I'm truly thankful because I doubt if I could put up with all the horse pucky involved with the No Child Left Behind Act. Bush should really keep his nose out of this one, because it's obvious he knows very little about education. Our school was recently placed on the list of schools not meeting federal goals prescribed by this act. Why, you ask. It must be the damn teachers and administrators right?? Not so....We have about a 1,000 kids in our school and a huge number are scoring below the national average. How come?...About 80% are growing up in an alcoholic home is the main reason. A vast number are also suffering from FAS. Yes, they were born with a brain probably half the size of a normal baby because their mother was bombed out of her mind during pregnantcy. According to Bush's plan all this doesn't matter. Supposedly they can perform as well as any other child.... if only the damn teachers would just get their act together. You see I work on an Indian Reservation here in Montana, and most of these kids come from deprived homes. But all that doesn't matter... the teachers just need to work harder. So now the teachers spend almost three hours a day teaching reading. Usually there's no time for things like Science and Social Studies. There is a huge amount of stress placed on the teachers to measure up, and this stress trickles right on down to the kids. There usually isn't time to do anything fun today kids, because we have to all study hard for the damn test. In the SFA program (No child left behind) It is mandantory that the teachers follow a script and be on the prescribed page when evaluators come around on a weekly basis. On one page you are told to be theatrical and lead the kids in some type of goofy cheer. On another page you might be told to go around and shake everyone's hand. If you don't do this just right you are in deep do do if an evaluator is watching. If the kids are behind or having difficulty, you don't dare take an extra day to review...because you have to keep up with the script you are given. If you are not a theatrical person or uncomfortable with your script or have your own style of teaching, it doesn't matter you have to follow the script. If you have a great activity that would benefit the kids, you can't use it because it's not in the script. As far as testing is concerned...have you ever heard of cheating. You wouldn't believe how this is actively encouraged by the administration in many school districts. I mean you have got to compete with the rest of the nation and test scores could mean money for the school, and after all it doesn't matter if the kids are suffering we must look good on paper. I could give details on this, but I guess my main concern is that The No Child Left Behind Act is probably doing more harm than good. Supposedly this idea has been so successful that the government is now trying to demand something similiar for the other subject areas. I'd also like to know where all the time is supposed to come from for an already over-worked teacher to do even half of what these plans demand. So what's the answer? Why not ask the teachers...they are the one's who are in the trenches day after day working with kids. I honestly think a lot of administrators and politicians are way out of touch with reality. Teachers usually have little imput on this. I'm glad I'm now a counselor, and don't have to deal with this. My daughter was valedictorian of her senior class, and her goal in life was to be a teacher. I'm happy to say that I've talked her out of it. I don't want her put through all the grief that teachers deal with daily. Is No Child Left Behind really something new? I think it's been the goal of teachers for a long time now...Steve1

In the early 70's the only people I knew of who wore berets, in the army, were S.F. and rangers. Then about the middle 70's it seemed that the army was issuing new hats to everyone. I'm still not sure what cavalry hats stand for, but they sure look out of place. I see nothing wrong with airborne people wearing a red beret, but it really bothers me when I see a new recruit wearing a beret with a flash on the front of it. It must have been in the 90's that they took the ranger's beret and gave it to everyone. I earned a green beret back in 70 and 71. I mean it took a lot of sweat, and grit to make it through and become flash qualified. And then you see some one wearing the same thing just for signing up...There's something really wrong here! I also know the feeling of wearing something that you don't deserve. I was in the National Guard back then. I think Guard Units now vastly improved and are taking an active combat roll, but when I returned home...ours was a real joke. I should have had sense enough to go regular Army. Most of the people in our unit were not S qualified and were a bunch of real turkeys who were avoiding the draft. And yes all of them were wearing a Green Beret if they were jump qualified. I was almost embarassed to say that I was in Special Forces because I'd also have to say I was also in the National Guard. As far as the other branches of the services, I have loads of respect for other hard core elite units who didn't get to wear any special headgear. Seal training has got to be the toughest. But then again training is only training for the real thing. Those who have survived combat are the ones I truly look up to.....Steve1

Clay, My brother uses 40 S&W for his law enforcement work in a Glock and loves it. Reloading can save quite a bit on ammo, but it's awful time consuming. I'm probably to meticulous in the way I try to get things too exact. I have dies to load 357, 9mm, and 38 special. But I hardly ever take the time to load up a box. There are ways to speed up this process though that I need to look into...Steve1

I know a whole lot more about rifles than pistols. I've learned a lot just by reading these posts. But My personal favorite "Roscoe" is a 9MM. I know it's supposed to be underpowered, but I'd bet with the right load it would definitely put a bad guy down for keeps. I like the fact there isn't much recoil and you can get back on target quickly for a 2nd shot. I've never owned a 45, have shot a few, and suspect I'd like one well enough. My main gun for home defense is a 12 guage pump with a short barrel. Fire-power is important, but I also agree with putting your shots where they count is more important. We had an instructor in the army who had recently returned from Vietnam. In training he told us a story of how his platoon jumped an armed enemy soldier who took off running with his weapon across an open area. The entire platoon openned up with full automatic on their M-16's. All were firing off hand. M-16's (back then) would keep firing on full auto for as long as you held your finger down. So rounds were flying everywhere without one hitting their target. Within seconds everyone was out of ammo and were in the process of reloading. The enemy soldier was still running, apparently unhurt. About then the platoon leader knelt down, took careful aim fired a couple rounds on semi, and brought the guy down. So I guess the moral of this story is that keeping a cool head and having the ability to shoot accurately is probably more important than fire-power. But then again, what do I know. I've never been in a real home defense situation or firefight for that matter. I'd like to think I could keep my cool like John Wayne does. But who knows, I'd probably be screaming along with the rest of my family and have bullets and shot-gun BB's whizzing in all directions. In fact I'd probably have to go change my underware. Is the 45 a better weapon for most defensive situations?...probably...But I still like my ole 9mm. I just like the feel of it, it's easy to shoot accurately, and I'd bet it would get the job done in most cases....Steve1

Congratulations, Dave....to you and the future Mrs....Steve1

I hope these are long term goals because it might take many years to achieve them, and it might not ever happen without the right genetics and a whole lot of discipline. I agree with the others that your calorie intake is probably too low. And I doubt if you are going to be able to lose that much weight and still keep increasing your maximum bench press. Try to take the weight off slowly or you are likely to lose a lot of muscle in the process. The first week of dieting you might lose five pounds or more, but after that a lb. a week is about right. Expect the poundages you lift to go down when you are dieting. Don't expect them to increase. After you get your body weight down where you want it, you can start increasing your calories some and increasing your bench. You should also be taking some supplements if you are dieting to avoid too much muscle loss. Aerobic work like swimming will help keep you from entering a starvation mode when dieting. It will keep your metabolism sped up, but again this can be detrimental to building muscle mass and strength. You'll be doing well just to hang onto the muscle you have while cutting back on calories. Many bodybuilders take steroids for that purpose alone...To keep most of their muscle mass while dieting. Don't be tempted to take that route! I'd say two hours a day swimming is way too much aerobic work, if you are also training hard with weights. As another person mentioned, listen to your body. Yours may react differently than someone elses. Don't expect the progress that many professional body builders make. Often times their gains are exaggerated in books and magazines. Also most of these guys are genetically gifted. Expect to feel really crappy if you are dieting and lifting hard. The two don't go well together. I'm no expert. You are already handling heavier poundages than I ever have. I was never blessed with a great genetics, but at one time I was a competitive body builder. It took me four contests on a state and interstate level to realize I'd never be another Arnold. But I still like to lift and it was a real challenge training for those contests. Dieting is a real bitch. Right now, I'm hoping to lose some pounds myself, mainly so my new jump suit will still keep me up. I have at least ten lbs. to go. Maybe if I tell enough people about my diet, maybe I'll stay on it this time. When I was competing, the thought of looking fat in front of an audience is what kept me from fudging. Getting up in front of a couple hundred people in a skimpy pair of trunks is one of the scarier things I've ever done. Today I'm too comfortable I guess. I'm old and love junk food, grease, and beer, but I still like to train....Steve1

I heard that Greg Nardi might be planning on selling the DZ in Titusville and moving home to Montana. Is there any truth to this? Maybe it's just a rumor.....Steve1

WffC sounds great, but I only live about a 100 miles from Lost Prairie in the summer, so that's where I'll be going. I used to jump with some of the old timers in that area 30 years ago. I got my rigger license with Fred Sands (the owner of the place) back in the 70's and have also made a ton of jumps with Dave Tousy when we jumped in Kalispell way back when. Dave is the Native American guy who owns the bar. He's the only guy I know who looks the same as he did 30 years ago. So it's fun renewing old aquaintances, making lot's of jumps, and partying down a little. It's also a treat being able to jump with people who've forgot more about jumping than I'll probably ever know, like Mad John and Bill Von (and a lot of others). And don't forget Jeane is bringing her boat this year, and we all want a ride....Steve1

There's a lot of opinions on this and mine may be contrary to yours. Most folks who are trying to build mass use heavy basic exercises like bench, squats, dead lift etc. You don't need a lot of isolation exercises that isolate one muscle group at a time. For example for building your chest, shoulders, and tri-cepts do benchs and maybe seated military press. You can work all three at once with these basic lifts. There's no need to isolate these muscles with an advanced bodybuilding routine which will probably lead to overtraining. When going heavy, I'd say don't do less than five reps or risk injury. There's nothing wrong with finishing with up to twelve reps on a lighter weight. But don't do more than 15. I've read articles about fast and slow twitch muscles, but most people go fairly heavy to build mass. I know some body builders who even powerlift in an effort to build mass. Probably the worst thing you can do is read too many muscle magazines and then try a program that professionals use. You'll end up overtraining and your gains will come slowly. I'd say an hour work out four times a week might be plenty. It's better to undertrain than overtrain. I know the pros work out twice a day six days a week for several hours a day, but most people would burn out on that real fast. As far as supplements you can spend a pile of money on these. If you eat right, the extra will be flushed out of your system. The thing is that most people don't eat right. Your body can only assimilate so much protein so don't go overboard on this. To tell you the truth I've never noticed any dramatic gains using protein powders, vitamins, or other supplements. I'd say you'd be better off spending your money on quality food with a minimal amount of supplements. If you are dieting to lose weight, that is another story and supplements are vital then. If I were you I'd say try to eat a quality diet that is low in fat, moderate levels of protein (but more protein than the average person eats because you are trying to build muscle) and enough quality carbohydrates to provide energy. It might be good to take a multi-vitamin, some B-complex, a little vitamin C. If you are worried about not getting enough protein in your diet maybe buy some protein powder. Sleep is vital. I need at least 8 or 9 hours after a hard workout. Don't pig out too much or you'll end up with a lot of extra fat to lose. If your workout gets stale and you stop making gains it might not hurt to take a week off. Changing your workout around once in a while might jump-start your gains again. It's not unusual to plateau out after a few months of training. Don't keep adding more and more exercises, sets, and lengthening your workout times. This may work in other sports, but will lead to overtraining after a while in weight training. So anyhow this is my opinion on all this. Or my two-cents worth. I quit reading muscle magazines and books years ago, but I imagine things haven't changed all that much. (And I know there is a lot of conflicting opinion on the best way to do all this)....Steve1

Looks good!....Steve1

I don't mean to embarrass any of these guys. They have all been out of jumping a long time, and I doubt if anyone remembers them so I guess I can change their names and tell what happened. Maybe these are some lessons in what not to do in life, but at any rate they are interesting stories.... I jumped with a guy in the 70's who was the grandson of one of our state's former governors. I heard he even competed in the Olympics in his early 20s in the luge event. In the 80's he did some jumping in at least one James Bond movie. In the 90's he ended up owning a bar and motel and big ranch. We were all impressed with how successful he was and more than a little jealous. Then the authorities caught him. He had a very large boat, loaded with marijuana, that he was trying to smuggle into Canada. It started to make sense how he had become some wealthy so fast. He lost most everything and went to jail. I heard he now works as a preacher. Another fellow I jumped with in the 70's tried to do the same thing but on a much smaller scale. He went way south of the border and bought a big box of whacky tobaccy and then mailed it to his home address. Upon arriving home the federal authorities were waiting for him when he went to pick up his mail. So he too spent some time in the slammer. Also back in the 70's we had a good jump pilot who also flew helicopters for the national guard. He seemed like a really nice guy who wouldn't hurt a fly. He was single when I knew him but he later got married to a gal who was unfaithful to him. He ended up shooting the poor boy friend with a 44 magnum while they were still in the sack. As far as I know he's still locked up. Another great jump pilot and jumper ran afoul of the law back in the 80's. He didn't go to prison, but something worse happend. I read his obituary in the news paper, saying he had died in Texas with no details. I later found out he was flying guns into Mexico and making big money. Apparently a gun deal went sour and someone murdered him. They found his body in the bottom of an out-house. All of these were great guys, great pilots, and jumpers.....I guess they were living just a little too close to the edge....Steve1

Being from Montana, we usually don't even lock our doors. We travelled to Palm Springs a few years ago to visit my brother. We all ended up in the back yard in the hot tub. While there some robbers came through the open front door and stole our wallets, cameras, and anything else that was handy. What really scared me, was that my daughter was the last one in the hot tub, and she could have been in the house when they came in. Another bad thing is that I almost didn't have enough money left to jump at Perris. Luckily I found another credit card.....Steve1

About 4 years ago, when I was still teaching, I started jumping again. I told a fellow teacher that I was skydiving again. She was going on and on about how I was only a teacher and didn't make enough money to jump.....And then I got to thinking that she probably spends more money than I do just on cigarettes. Smoking a pack or two a day is about as expensive as my jump habit, and probably more dangerous......Steve1

Once when making my first jump in the army it was too windy, so we had to come back down in a C-119. We took off twice in our club 180 and had the cowling come loose on the side of the motor and it started banging in the wind, so we landed twice because of this. Once on a beech load the wiring started on fire filling the inside with smoke just after take off. We planned to land but weren't sure if the landing gear was down so we exited at around 2500 ft......Steve1

My first new canopy was a para-commander. I paid around $300. for it about 30 years ago. My second was a new Hornet a couple years ago. It was only around $400 new from Africa. I doubt if I'd pay what new canopies are selling for now. You can save a lot by going used, and since I'm a cheap-skate......Steve1

I know a few people who use ski helmets for jumping and like them well. I bought one for jumping, but the same week found a really good deal on a full face helmet, so I now only use it for skiing. Don't forget to cover or cut off any snag points if you jump with it. Many ski helmets have goggle holders on the back. I also have a protec helmet which offers lots of protection. Some of the best jumpers I know still wear a protec. Mad John for one. They might not be as stylish, but they protect your noggin well, and are reasonably priced......Steve1

My stepfather will see hell before he ever sees me again, the son of a bitch. I don't have kids, but if I did, they wouldn't see him. Let them DIE, ALONE. It's what they deserve. Unless ofcourse, they've made a sincere mea culpa. ............................................................................ Mark, I feel the same way toward my father. If he even had the slightest amount of remorse, I'd forgive him, but he doesn't.....so the greater distance I can put between he and my family the better. He hasn't changed. He was trying to be abusive to my own wife and kids, most times he was around them, so I set boundaries with him, and in fact have nothing to do with him now. People say that parents try to do the best they can. But what if those parents made no effort at all? Do they deserve your unconditional forgiveness? I think not. Everyone in my immediate family feels a whole lot better since I severed all ties with him. I should have done it a long time ago.....Steve1

Quote[ I agree that people need to stop blaming their past for their present and move on. reply] Looking at the past and feeling that hurt is an important part of therapy. I spent years trying to stuff the anger and hurt that I had inside and trying to forget the past and just move on. Believe me it doesn't work. I wish it was as simple as that. A vital part of recovery is looking at the past and letting those feelings out either in a counselors office or in group. Eventually you will want to go on and forgetting the past will be easier. I agree you can get stuck in this blaming phase, but it is still a vital part of therapy in my opinion. As far as confronting the person who abused you, this may or may not help. Don't be surprised if that parent is in total denial of their wrong doing.....Steve1

Toxic Parents is a great book. The thing that really stuck in my mind after reading it is that some parents don't deserve forgiveness if they have no remorse for what they have done. Learning to forgive yourself is important though and learning to detach from the past is too.....Steve1

Lany, I guess I'm not afraid to tell you that I grew up in an alcoholic abusive home. I spent a lot of years trying to be rough and tough and pretend that shit was behind me, but it didn't work very well at all. Then In my forties I went through a really rought time of it, almost ended up in divorce, and at times was a terrible parent to my kids. Anger and depression were in control of my life. I'd like to say it's all behind me. Today life is good, but the past is still a big part of who I am. People talk about having closure on issues from the past. I doubt if it really works that way though. I guess that is what many of us are seeking. For me it was like a handicap that I learned to deal with. I still battle anger and depression and have trouble detaching from things that happened 40 years ago. Self help books helped me probably more than anything else. A lot of professionals condem them, but it sometimes beats paying a psychologist $150. an hour. Just knowing that others have been through the same crap and understand, helps. Skydiving and my family are also great therapy for me. I hope this helps someone else out there in cyberspace. This sort of thing is difficult to talk about. I've been working as a counselor for a while now, so I guess it's easier for me.....Steve1

I've been doing bench press for about 40 years now. Being small boned, about 5'7", small joints, I don't have much hope of ever being a power lifter, but we can all improve. Many years ago I did a max of around 250 on bench. Dead lifted around 405 once. Nothing to brag about, but I still like to lift.....Steve1

Bring it, if you can. I'll bring my old Frenchies and motorcycle helmet. I may have a chance to buy one also. It's 30 years old, but I figure if I have a good belly reserve, what the hell. Hope to see you there.....Steve1

I turn 54 this year. I can still do most things I once did. At least I think I can. I went skiing the other day and made it down the hill several times, but damn my thighs were burning. I don't remember it ever being that tough. I haven't tried Viagra yet, but I may have to get some soon. I heard that the main reason older men have to buy Viagra is because older women are just so damn ugly. It's all their fault.....Steve1