peregrinerose

I wish I had go go gadget boobs of steel Gravity is great for skydiving, not so great for very large and getting old boobs. I did see mine in freefall once when they escaped both a bra and a tank top. That was surreal. I didn't even realize it until my husband was laughing his ass off in freefall, pointing at me, and mouthing 'boobies'. He was trying to fly over to grab 'em but was laughing too hard to fly right.

The way I see it, if a problem arises with one person/DZ, it's a fluke, shit happens. But when you describe being banned from 4 DZs due to hook turns, it's no longer a fluke, it's a trend. The common theme in the story is you, so instead of casting blame on the DZs that banned you, might be better to figure out exactly why you are being banned from so many places and address the issue in a constructive manner. Oh, and about this: I bet Danny Page could have said something similar too. See how well that worked out. Jump numbers don't mean you're infallable and they won't save you. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

LOL!!!! I like option number 2... much more direct. When I was a student, this method really did work wonders for me on my landings (I did it in my head, not for real... I also value my freedom and the ability to use my hands to eat cupcakes rather than be straightjacketed. I also don't do malls... but at the time I worked at a Lenscrafters in one, so sorta worked out ok. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Go down an escalator at a mall and PLF from the 3rd step up when you get there... that would be motion for you. Might hurt on a hard floor and you may find yourself checked into the local insane assylum, but it's an option. Or you can just ride the escalator down and mentally envision PLFing when you hit the bottom... that way you don't have to be locked up over it. It's also a good way to learn how to judge flare heights, riding escalators down and mentally flaring 10 feet up. I have 55, 75, and 100 lb. dogs, and they loved PLF practice time

Good luck on your level 3 today, and good call on getting video.... that is a great learning tool! About PLF. If you can explain to me why it is preferrable to land with all momentum on your spine vs. all momentum being distributed along very sturdy body parts, then I won't yell You are justifying a butt slide, that's what scares me. Even your instructors said not to do it again (and unless you are VERY agressive about changing this habit, you will do it again). This sport requires humility. Justifying something that is blatantly unsafe is counter to that. A PLF will not affect your face... a PLF will distribute forward momentum just as well as straight down. Let me tell you a story.... great case of target fixation on my husband who already landed, a higher speed approach on a smaller canopy (I had just downsized) and a low avaoidance turn (as in 15 ft off the ground, so it was combined with a flare) had me coming in HOT. When I land, EVERY TIME, I lean into it, keeping my feet under my body, a little bit of chest forward, into the chest strap, feet and knees together.... perfect posture to stand up, but also perfect posture to PLF. Well, that jump, I PLFd a solid 30 feet. Got up, embarrassed as hell, but walked away. All of my speed was 'forward', but had I butt slid, I would have been in the ER. I'd strongly suggest practicing your PLFs a lot. Stand on a chair in your back yard and practice... hands at crotch, elbows in.....keep everything off your spine and roll. Do it until it's habit and you don't need to think about it. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Aughghghghgh... Don't EVER EVER EVER butt slide. It's a good way to break your back/tailbone. You got lucky, that was it. Don't lull yourself into complacency on that one. There is no situation where a butt slide is better than a PLF (except for tandem landings). You don't have the experience to safely butt slide and it will literally bite you in the ass. This is the one thing I will ream students out for, I will flat out fail students for... after a few butt slide landings on AFF, you either PLF or repeat the level, no matter how flawless the freefall was. Funny, my students learn fast when there is money on the line (they learn even faster when they are broken, unfortunately ) I'm glad your 2 jumps went well, but you need to fix this PLF vs. Butt slide thing ASAP. It IS a bad habit, it is from tandems, and it can lead to big problems down the road. I've seen it far too many times and don't want it to end up to you. Edited to add.. you landed so hard your boobs popped out of your bra... and you don't think that that kind of hard landing is a problem? You can do major back damage without realizing it. I am sorry to yell at you about this, but it's a safety issue that slides by too often. Get into good habits now, not when you're on a smaller, less forgiving canopy. When's level 3?

Have fun AFF-ing!!

I think you need to change your user name to Sprinkles from your last line in that post You might want to consider sliding your scale of 'getting hurt' a bit. Honestly a bruised arm wouldn't even register worth calling an injury to me. But I'm also extraordinarily clumsy on the ground and used to bruises, I can fall over absolutely nothing at all... which made falling from the sky perfectly logical... I figured it makes sense to use that long honed skill of falling for constructive use Seriously though, you're going to get banged around quite a bit in this sport, you'll get lots of bumps and bruises, often never having any idea where they came from. My husband and I snicker over our various colorful lesions in the shower together at the end of every weekend. That's just the nature of the sport, especially when you're a student (apparently also if you're an instructor!). You definitely didn't fail me... the only way I'd say you'd fail me is if I was riding the plane down with you and you didn't have a barf bag handy to hand me in the event I yakked Otter and caravan exits are very different from cessna. As a student, cessnas scared the shit out of me, for the same reasons you mentioned. If I didn't already have 4-5 AFF jumps out of a King Air prior to my first cessna jump, I may well have backed out too

Just so you are aware... you still need to climb out of the plane, on to the step, put your chest on the strut, etc. with AFF. What are you hoping to gain by switching methods? About riding the plane down... don't sweat it. It takes far more balls to ride the plane down than to jump out of it... planes CRASH on landings sometimes... that's some dangerous shit landing with an aircraft!!! I damn near puked down a friend's back when we had to ride the plane down due to weather. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Talk to the instructors at your DZ, they have jumped with you and can walk you through all the jumpsuit options and what would work best for your body type and flying skills. There are a LOT of options, don't waste $300 on a custom jump suit only to have it still not be right for you

Congratulations!!!! Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

When I was on match.com, my first dates were all 'dinner and a movie'. If first impression was good when he showed up, we'd order pizza and rent something at my house. If first impression was so-so, we'd eat at the local diner, then maybe a movie. If impression was bad, just a movie (at a theater where I didn't have to deal with him much) and then have a voicemail when I turned the phone on to leave for a patient with an eye emergency that I had to get to the office for. My husband was the only one to get the order pizza and rent a movie treatment. I still have no idea what the movie was, neither does he, we sat on the couch and talked all night. That night still was the best kiss I've ever gotten in my entire life, when he said goodbye. Then we IM'd when he got home. We've been inseperable ever since. To his credit, second date (2 days later) was at Outback. He was impressed that I ordered a steak and not 'some girly thing to eat'.

I am SO stealing your 'be the cupcake' line

The deaf guy is asking me what a chipmunk sounds like???

I had a chipmunk in my house a few years ago. She gave birth to three babies at some point before I noticed her.... I found out about having chipmunks in the house when I smelled a dead something or other in the kitchen and a few days later three very young chipmunks were on my kitchen floor looking for food. Somehow they survived my cats (although apparently the mother did not). I fed them every day because they were too little to release. It got to the point that they'd bark for food in my kitchen every morning. A few weeks later, I live trapped them and let them go. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I said that too until I started working as a packer. As for working at the DZ an hour away... my DZ is 1.5 hr away, I'm there every weekend, both days, working my ass off. It more than pays for jumping. And packers get paid better than instructors. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Credit cards are going to kill you, especially in this economy and jobs being a bit uncertain. You will end up killing your credit and long term being in a bind. Pick up a second job (preferrably one at the dropzone packing, working manifest, fueling the plane whatever grunt work needs to get done). Use that money to pay for skydiving. That's how most of us made ends meet without incurring more debt. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Damnit, you figured out how I stay in business.... don't tell anyone please Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I got called beautiful in Speakers Corner.... wow. That has to be a first

Let's revisit this next year when they price the penny sets... I bet it's a crapload more than $1.65

Again, check out their web site, their online catalog, and the small fortune they charge for 'collector' coins, sets, bags, rolls, etc. The mint is a profitable company. The whole reason these new state quarters, new dollars, new pennies come out is to keep it a profitable company. Susan B dollars didn't make them any money, which is why it was discontinued. Saca dollars have made money, which is why they get made periodically... it's business decisions. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

www.usmint.gov Check out this website and their online catalog. They are selling 2 rolls of state quarters for $32.95 plus shipping (which gives a profit). That's $20 of quarters for $32.95. Lets say they charge a conservative $10 on the penny sales to collectors for 2 rolls of pennies. Pennies are 1.4 cents each to manufacture. Pennies come 50 to a roll, so $1.40 to make two rolls of pennies. That's a minimum of $8.60 profit on the sale (probably more since I pulled $10 out of my ass as an insanely conservative guess). That's not even counting bags to collectors and other forms of collector sets. The mint sells many many thousands of these items. So yes, the mint does make a profit (and the mint is essentially a business, it must make a profit to stay alive). Check out their site, it's almost sick how much they charge for coins. I don't know how much I'm allowed to say regarding sales of those things since I get it from my husband and am not comfortable giving numbers without his permission (his boss doesn't like number getting out publically)... but lets say its a whole lot.

Last I heard, Janitors aren't walking the streets cleaning up litter... they are the housekeepers of public buildings Silly arguement to you, very personal one to me as my husband would be out of work, the company he works for (300 employees) would have to downsize considerably and most likely close... pennies are the bulk of their processing. He and I had this converstation more than once. He never ventures into Speakers Corner though, so I know he won't see this thread. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I forget what percent it was, but the largest percent of coin processed/transported/etc is pennies. If these comanies lost say 30% of their business, do you really think it wouldn't affect employment? Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

The Mint actually makes a mint when they unveil new designs of coins (regardless of denomination). They sell packaged rolls (one of each mint, Phila and Denver) to collectors. Collectors pay more than face value for those coins, and the mint makes a profit. If pennies were eliminated, a lot of people would be out of work.... Coinstar, etc process more pennies than any other coin. Armored car companies transport lots of pennies, along with other coin (and that's two drivers per truck as they are required to have 2 and they must be armed) Companies that then subcontract with the Mint, Coinstar, and other related companies to sort and/or roll the coins employ hundreds of people (my husband happens to work for one of them). There's a lot more money in coins than just the face value of the coins themselves, and a good number of people that are employed as a result. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda