peregrinerose

Chrissy, we can actually jump together this time

Granny, I'll jump with you in a heartbeat... we can do my favorite CASA exit... the same as my very first CASA exit. Start as far front as you can get, say 'ready, set, go' and you and a friend go running the length of the plane and canonball off the back, it's a blast!!

Woohoooo!!!! I was really hoping for a thanksgiving boogie somewhere down there :-) Skydivingchad and I will most likely be there. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Hi, I'm Jen, and I've been told I'm a post whore. I'm not really, I swear. But given the number of boobies on here, I'm thinking a little more male nudity might be fun for us lady types (I use the term 'lady' loosely!) Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Have a little empathy... imagine if your friends started pontificating about their latest undewater basket weaving or bowling adventures, you'd probably glaze over too. Everyone has their interests, and it's perfectly ok for skydiving not to be the top of everyone's list. Be careful not to isolate your friends/family due to your skydiving high... the sky will always be there for you, but your friends/family may not be when you need them most if you alienate them. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Why are you jumping by yourself? I strongly discourage solos in new jumpers... you don't learn anything from a solo. I don't know you or your DZ, but students need to take initiative in their learning process. It is your responsibility to make it known that you are on the DZ, you want to learn, you want people to jump with, and you want to learn how to pack. If you are not making others aware of your needs (as in manifest, instructors, etc), how can they psychically know what you want/need? Show up at the DZ when they open, stay all day, you'll learn a lot and chances are have more people to jump with than you thought possible. The students that get the most out of their education are the ones who put forth the effort to learn, and as instructors, we bend over backwards to help those people. About leg turns... it's much easier to learn that in person with another body in freefall with you than just in theory online. You've gotten some good pointers on how to get started on here, but that's no substitute for a pair of in-freefall eyes. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

There are gullible people all over the place, what Farrakhan says, without Obama's endorsement, has nothing to do with who Obama is and his suitablity as a candidate. Now if Obama goes on the news claiming to be the Messiah, then you'd have a point. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Who cares what people say about him? I could call Obama Mickey Mouse, that doesn't make it true or agreed with by the candidate himself. There's so much meaningless crap being hauled into this election by both sides. I don't care about Palin's college hopping 30 years ago, where McCain graduated in his class 50+ years ago, what Obama's middle name is or what other people may say about him.... all of that is meaningless in the grand scheme of an election right now with people we need to asses based on who they are as adults, not who they were 20+ years ago. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

My parents (devout Catholics) registered me in a Catholic elementary school as a Catholic. Doesn't make me Catholic now (nor have I been since I was old enough to make religious choices for myself). So I'm not really sure how what his step father registered him as is even remotely relevent to his actual beliefs now that he's old enough to make up his own mind. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I'm not sure this is solely an S&TA issue. I'm not one, but would have said something directly and/or to the DZ's S&TA. I believe we all need to watch out for each other, not just the sacred few with titles keeping an eye on things. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I agree... some places will badger the shit out of you to work, even if you gave them months notice that you needed a break to fun jump. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I'm scared of my one reserve (has no jumps on it), but not my other one (with one jump on it... mine) in the same way that I was nervous putting a first jump on a new main. Not debilitating fear, nothing that would make me even remotely hesitate to cut away should I need to (after all, already did just that once!), and I've inspected the living shit out of both reserves so know from an intellectual stance that they are fine. It's just that unknown that makes me nervous. The mal I chopped from was a very low speed... line over just to the left of center on a Spectre. It opened with line twists, which I kicked out of before noticing the line over. The canopy flew in a straight line, no spin or anything, but I also knew it wasn't safe to land it. It was my first chop, first save as a rigger, and the first ride on that particular reserve. I knew with 100% certainty my main wasn't landable and had to go away, so away it went. I didn't second guess anything til I'd already pulled handles, followed my free bag visually, and had a perfect landing at the DZ. Obviously it was the right choice

I bought a $20,000 retinal camera for my optometric office, will take 5 years to pay that off. It's my only debt outside of my mortgage (which is $155,000) Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

When a deal seems to good to be true, it probably is. You got ripped off, the guy probably doesn't even exist, and you won't see your money again. Skydiving is a small community. When buying gear, get and actually check references, chances are you and the other party know a few of the same people. Use a neutral rigger as intermediary so you know the gear exists. Never use WU. Dealing with online transactions safely isn't rocket science. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

There's a reason that some people qualify as 'crazy cat ladies', but you never hear about 'crazy dog ladies' Yes, there's a difference. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I was 18, in college, Keith R. in the lobby of my dorm as he was leaving for the night. It was actually a nice, sweet kiss. As he now prefers men though, it must not have been all that great for him Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Absolutely some students are more comfortable with some instructors. I know I was. Some instructors set students at ease better, teach with a style the student 'gets' better, makes it more fun for the student in a way they enjoy, etc. That said, I don't think students should have one instructor only. All of us teach a little differently, with slightly different focus points. Just having one perspective from one instructor only ends up limiting the student more than helping them. They also need to realize that the skydive is in THEIR hands, not the instructors, so leaning too heavily from an emotional stance on one instructor can hurt confidence in themselves as they progress in the sport. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Protec. Cheap, room for audible, protects the noggin, looks great covered in fur. What more could you ask for in headwear?

Cats can be trained too.. mine is no problem at all. He didn't like it at first, after a LOT of work with him he lets me put the caps on, even purrs the whole time. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

http://www.dor.ca.gov/ssd/blindser.htm This is the state rehab agency http://www.lighthouse-sf.org/ Lighthouse has great low vision resources, and has an office in San Francisco. These would probably be the best places to start for low vision services if they haven't tapped into them already. The aisquared web site is good to get started on ZoomText, at least get a passing familiarity with it to help. It's a pricey program, but at least she can demo for free to start with. If she has any specific questions, feel free to put her in touch with me. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

First, don't ever buy something, no matter how well intentioned, for someone else. They see with eyes you can't even begin to understand, and software preferences/needs are very individual. Second, there may be ways to get devices covered (Lions clubs, local vision/blindness centers, state organizations). Third, the best tools in the world are useless without some really good training. And finally, there is no one tool that suits every person. Sometimes all that's needed are special glasses or tints, sometimes special contact lenses, sometimes just a bigger computer monitor or different lighting options. My specialty is low vision rehabilitation, so this is what I do a LOT of for a living, and I learned very quickly that even with the same visual acuity and same disease diagnosis, two people will function very very differently. Where does your friend live? I may be able to give some good contact people depending on where he is. What condition does he have? Does he work? What are his goals? What does HE want to do with his vision? JAWS and Magic are good, so is ZoomText (www.aisquared.com). You can download a free 30 day trial of ZoomText from the web site, but a little training will go a long way in making your friend proficient with it. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Have you tried SoftPaws on the two with claws? Those things are great. I have one with claws, two without, but the clawed one gets softpaws. It's like $20 for a six month supply, they are rubbery caps that go over the claws, held on with superglue. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

You did say I was the only one that could get away with it.... just for that, I'll let you call me Jenny. But just ONCE Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

She is well aware of that. But experienced jumpers sometimes forget that they are role models (both good and bad) to inexperienced jumpers. That's just how the world works, and not just in skydiving. It's nice to see a young jumper remind the rest of us of that sometimes, and she's got a good head on her shoulders (at least from her posts here) to make educated decisions. Not all are so wise. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

This was an extremely well worded post. Nice job, Sprinkles