peregrinerose

First, unless something has changed recently, I'm very much a 'she'.

Ok, I've been hitting lots of brick walls on this one. Apparently there's a shortage of 135 Nitrons out there. Chad and I traded canopies... I had about 500 jumps on my 135 Sabre 2 and loved it. However, I got hooked on his 150 Nitron due to it's better ability to get back from a long spot, love the flare of it, but I really miss the smaller canopy size. So, I'd like to demo a 135 Nitron to see if I even like the smaller size prior to even consider buying one or trading for one. I've tried three different possible sources for a 135 Nitron to jump, including the manufacturer, and nada. So, do any of you lovely people in DZ.com land have a 135 Nitron you'd let me put a few jumps on? I know it's a long shot, but figured I'd ask.

Who's that totally hot chick waving at the camera and waving a furry pink helmet? Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Would the fact that the firings occurred in CO and the testing occurred in FL, at totally different altitudes MSL have any effect on the result? Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I'm not sure where your 'in general' comment comes from, as the bmom's I know vary all over the place with what they want or expect from the relationship. There is no consensus there, as every person is different. To OP... let your daughter and her bmom set the pace of everything. There's going to be a rollercoaster of emotions on both of their parts. Right now, focus on supporting your daughter, listening to her, and reassuring her. You have a lot of years for things like memory books, etc. The last 30 years have been wonderful for your family, but bmom sacrificed a lot, many bmoms agonize over their decisions their entire lives, there may be a lot of pain involved for her about what might have been if she opted to parent. Be sensitive to the levels of emotional complexity there. If you want to read the words of a lot of bmoms, go to www.forums.adoption.com and read the reunion pages. Our son is adopted, and we are dealing with reunion drama. His case is a little different though. His bio mom's rights were terminated by the state 10 years ago, and she also lost 2 other kids to foster care/adoption. It's hard for him, and for her. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Why would you take out loans that were 'unbearable' to pay off? I graduated with $126,000 debt from grad school alone. I had it all paid off in 7 years. I did it by making a lot of sacrifices and smart decisions. Oh... during that time, I still managed to buy a house and skydive. I financed the jumping by working as a packer, and only spent 1/2 of my packing income on jumping. So, suck it up cupcake, and pay off the debt you incurred. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

So you request respect by being disrespectful and sarcastic? I'm not seeing the rationality there. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Yes they did ...but unlike how MANY wealthy people do for their chldren, it didn't cost an endowment....just a full time tutor. If this were a fictional 'feel-good' story it would have come off campy and tanked at the box office...but as my old FJI use to say~ It ain't bragging if ya really did it! I don't know what was in the movie, I read the book... and it was a LOT more than a full time tutor. They bought him high school credits, they bought him grades, they bought him the tutor, there was a lot of manipulation that went on in this regard. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I have no desire to watch the movie, the whole 'white savior' thing gets old, but I did enjoy the book. The book is much more football oriented (about 1/2 of it is on Oher specifically). Although in the book, the mom just grated on my nerves. The superficiality of the family is incredible, they bought Oher's way into college, etc. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Hello all, Once again, Keystone Skydiving Center is hosting Brian Germain's canopy course. It will be at our dropzone in Collegeville, PA June 12-13. Cost is $195 plus the cost of jumps. The class is filling up fast, so contact me ASAP on here for information on reserving a spot. Jen Galbraith Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Just tell her you'd be perfectly happy to go out to dinner with her wearing your jumpsuit and gear if it was that important to her that you matched. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Putting contacts from mouth to eye is not very wise. First, saliva is acidic. Second, there are a lot of bacteria in your mouth. Third, anything that goes on your contact stays in your contact, it doesn't rinse out even with a squirt of saline. A better option is to just keep spare contacts with you. I have almost 1000 jumps, all with contacts. I lost a lens 2 times in that number of jumps, and don't wear that brand of contact any more because it would pop out when dry (and it dried out very quickly). I wear one day lenses that are perfect for jumping and easy to keep spares with me. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Nightingale... I can tell you first hand that once the child is legally yours, you are by no means completely on your own with regard to adoption from foster care. Our son was with us almost a year before he was adopted. And some issues came up AFTER his adoption that we needed some expert help with. Both the county case worker and our agency have been absolutely phenominal in hooking us up with the resources that we needed to help him Airtwardo and Night.... the huge advantage of adopting older kids, at least in the US, is that you know their baggage. You know their history, their behaviors. I have about 200 pages of psych records alone on our son, so we knew where he had been, his triggers, the course he was on, what did and didn't work to help him, the kinds of things to watch out for, his personality, etc. These are all total unknowns with an young child or infant. I would adopt another teenager in a heartbeat (actually working on updating the paperwork now to start the matching process again), but hell will freeze over before I adopt under the age of 13. Teenagers can talk to you. They can tell you what's wrong. They can reason. They don't always choose to engage in those behaviors, but at least the capability is there. You can't reason with a 4 year old that is trying to rape the dog and set the curtains on fire due to a previously unknown past of sexual abuse. I would not adopt overseas, as 'buying a child' doesn't sit right with me, and it's a big money game. $30,000+ for a kid? That's insane. I paid absolutely nothing for our adoption, plus get a $950 adoption subsidy every month which goes into a bank account for his college education. Learning curve? I can deal with a teenager pretty easily, but am a bumbling idiot with the under 5 crowd. I found the learning curve not too bad.... learning what resources were out there and asking the right people the right questions was more difficult than actually learning to parent. That was actually not too tough. Oh, and regarding attachments... ours had over 2 dozen foster homes. 4 failed adoption attempts. 3 years in Residential Treatment Facilities (psych wards, basically). He has no idea how to attach, but has made very good progress. I wouldn't trade our life with him for anything at all. He's a remarkable kid. Most of the time Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Be sure that you're getting your eyes checked yearly. With that kind of invasive surgical history on your corneas, you probably have relatively thin corneas now. That makes eye pressure readings look falsely low and can make glaucoma a little more challenging to pick up as a result. PRK removes less corneal tissue than LASIK, which is why it's usually recommended for higher Rxs, or for individuals with thinner corneas to begin with. Personally, I'll wait til either advances are made with corneal crosslinking or cataracts surgery. Until then, one day contacts or glasses don't bother me at all. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

LASIK does NOT have a faster heal time. LASIK never heals to 100%.... it only feels better faster. Just because something feels better doesn't mean that it is in reality 'better.' PRK is much safer in that there is no flap, so 100% healing is possible with PRK. A lot of docs are actually moving away from LASIK/LASEK and going back to PRK as the long term safety profile is much better. There's some interesting research going on now with corneal crosslinking that may have some fascinating (and safer than all present procedures) refractive surgery implications. Which is better, to feel better faster, or to long-term have a structurally more secure cornea? Oh... I am definitely a 'she', not a 'he' I'm perfectly ok with someone question my ability to say that overall PRK is a safer procedure than LASIK from a long term stance.... questions are good. That's what drives science and research. Fortunately, at this moment, the science says that PRK probably is the better procedure. Unfortunately, most patients do not make smart decisions based on research, but go for the quick fixes promoted in advertising. I've seen some very seriouly messed up corneas as a result.... not all refractive surgeons have high ethics. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

First, I AM an eye doctor. Second... minimum of 2 months no jumping, and be very freaking careful after that. The flap never heals back to 100%. If you are smart, you'll do PRK instead... cheaper, safer, and back to jumping quicker as there's no flap to heal. Please do a search for my name and LASIK to save me lots of typing and then ask questions here or PM me. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Do a search for Peregrinerose and LASIK, you'll find a ton of information. And I am an eye doctor. Sounds like you planned poorly regarding wedding and LASIK pre-op. Why don't you just move the pre-op back a few weeks, then you can wear your contacts for the wedding and still be out of them at least two weeks for the procedure? It's not like LASIK surgeons are going any where or the procedure is required immediately. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Why, yes, Curt, actually I believe I do Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Thanks, Mike! That adds about 8 hours to hour total drive time, but what's 8 hours when you're already driving over 12? We're looking at the end of July as tentative vacation time and once I have dates figured out will get something scheduled with you. Chad and I have been itching to jump your King Air anyway, so this seems like a perfectly good excuse to do so

Yes, I did a search and contacted a couple of DZs only to find out that the rules had changed in their states Our son turns 17 this summer and we're going to GA for family vacation just prior to his birthday. He's been chomping at the bit to jump for the past year, as he's been at the DZ every weekend during the jumping season. He's got a good head on his shoulders. Any suggestions? His brain might melt if he has to wait another year, but I'm fairly sure that brain meltage isn't fatal, so he'll make it if he has to Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

My personal favorites are the Flex Zs. I even have two different pairs (different sizes). They work well, keep my contacts in place, don't fog up too horribly, and are more comfortable than the student versions, but still pretty cheap. I think I paid about $16/pair. The ones with foam around the edges need to be replaced frequently as the foam comes off. In skydiving, pricier does not always mean better. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

What a great story! I need to print something out and send it to my 6th grade teacher, Sr. Liliose. She'd get a kick out of it :-) Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I also have a 2000 Saturn SL2, and also get routinely 38mpg. 99% of my driving is highway. It has 180,000 miles on it too. I am very disgruntled Saturns are no longer being made. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

What makes you feel that this is 'wrong'? Why is your way of life and attitude toward raising children and the role of women 'right' while this one isn't? I am disgusted by the above lack of choice and ingraining of religious beliefs, however, I also think that other people deserve the right to raise their kids or propagate their belief systems as they see fit.... who's to say my belief system is 'right'? In the absence of anything illegal, I don't see how it's my business to determine how another family chooses to raise their children. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

As long as they, not the state, are caring for their kids, who cares if their religious beliefs are extreme and they want more children? If they had 19 kids and they were all in foster care, born to crack head mom, that's a problem. This is more than a bit odd, but really none of anyone's business but theirs. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda