peregrinerose

Me too!!!! I'm so ready to be at the DZ and not have to pack.

Kyle, I think you told the story wrong. It should start with something like 'no shit, there I was, minding my own business......' Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

That's why I hate cats. And why all 3 of my cats are strictly indoors. And why I pellet gun the neighbor's cat every time I catch it hunting in my yard (damn thing even killed all the fish in my fish pond) Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Not wanting to take the time is laziness Besides the glove thing, the possibility of knot thing (my husband had that one happen, no his brake lines were not twisted), there is also the chance of the loop of brake line snagging on something on it's way out of the container. Lazy brake stowing and untacked slinks are two of my pet peeves as a packer... both are easy to do and may prevent a problem, so why not do it? I agree with you about twisty brake lines though... they should be done every few jumps, and people who pay packers and never pack themselves are really taking their chances on this one... packers don't have time to maintain gear as well as pack it! Though I admit, I do untwist the lines, stow the excess brakes for the lazy people that don't do it to begin with, replace closing loops, etc. Just don't pass that around though or I'll be too busy packing to jump! Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I've caught my hand (when wearing gloves) in excess brake line that I had stowed, but only 1/2 assedly. As a packer, I never leave the excess loose because of that and the chance of knotting. The only reason not to stow excess is laziness. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I agree with this completely. Abortion is a symptom of a problem. I would love for there to be absolutely no market for abortions. I'd love to see no teen pregnancy, wiser decision making, better birth control, active teaching of birth control to teens, better support systems for women who are pregnant, more adoptions... people more willing to skip the fertility treatments and adopt instead. People as a whole are selfishly motivated though, so I'm not sure that things will ever change. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

My husband does that and it drives me fucking batty. But which is the greater hazzard, someone who is standing still, watching canopy traffic while setting brakes, or the person who picks up their gear and is walking across the middle of the landing area with other canopies landing? Moving targets can be trickier, I would think. I set the brakes to avoid too many twists (though my last jump of the weekend I usually wait to set brakes and untwist lines), to keep my velcro/lines in decent shape, and it's one less thing for me to deal with later. As a packer, it's just habit to double check the brakes when I start to pack and again when putting the bag in the container. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Ooooh, you used the word 'first'.... I think you owe beer. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Kyle, I hate to crush you with this information, but she is still lurking at my house. Fortunately I'll be home before Chad today, so I won't walk in to any more unseemly surprises... I'll do my best to keep my wayward husband's filthy dirty hippie hands off of your Rosemary. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Chris, aren't you glad he won't be packing during the boogie! Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

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

Rosemary's a whore??? Holy shit. Now I need to go get tested too.... I have no idea what kind of cooties Chad is passing on to me.! Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Fucking cheating bastard, how can I ever forgive you?? And you actually have the balls to post this online!!!????!!!???

I don't know what the 'good old days' are like, since I've only been jumping for 3ish years. But I do remember why I didn't want to continue jumping when I was a student. I was very shy, always felt out of place at the DZ. No one would talk with me since I was 'only' a student and I was so in awe of the 'real' skydivers that I never initiated conversations with them. After that first AFF jump, I'd sit at the DZ waiting all day for an available instructor to jump with, which often didn't happen til afternoon. That's fine, but when no one is making any effort to talk with you, encourage you to watch the packers, watch dirt dives, point out landing patterns, it's tough. Especially when listening to other jumpers talk sounds like a foreign language.. to someone with a couple of jumps, what the hell is shagging a tandem? Dirt dive? etc? I only continued to jump because my husband was a jumper. The jumping was ok, but my discomfort socially during my time on the ground outweighed my enjoyment in the sky. I did it for him. Wrong reason to jump, but that's the only reason I made it to an A license. Once I had the A, lots of people were willing to jump with and work with me. Then I started packing, and the social end was easy, I lost my shyness, but I also saw a lot of students sitting around looking as completely lost and clueless as I did. So as much as possible, I encourage students, particularly AFF students, to stick around all day, hang out with us after the jumping is done. If we go out, I'm always the first to offer a ride to the students if they are interested. As much as possible, I'll chat with them during the day to make them feel more comfortable than I did. I encourage them to watch us pack and see how things work. Maybe it's a packer thing, but the 3 other guys that I pack with all do exactly the same thing. I don't know if it's done any good in helping students stick around or not, there's no way for me to track that kind of thing. But at least we try. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Kyle, can't you read? The pool is 10x6 according to Kevin's post. Oh, wait, you're an engineer..... I should have known better Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

$100 of jello is only 16.66666666667 pack jobs, Kevin Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

But it would be much more fun to go out there and play with big pavers and things to make it wider Gestapo-like beer marshall... I like that Kevin, pack for yourself 10 times and you've saved enough to buy the jello. I have no idea if that's enough, email the company and ask. It sounds good to me though. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Cheap bastard.... $50 is too much to pay to watch a bunch of women slipping and sliding all over themselves in a vat of jello????????? Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

My jumpsuit is dark green and black, some gold on it. I was thinking about something with green and black tye dye, I don't know. I'm so bad with that whole design thing. Your boat anchor can stay as long as it needs to, it's in my spare bedroom which gets used almost never.... we keep a student every year for Dave's course, but other than that it's usually empty... that way none of my animals or their hair can get anywhere near it too. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Kevin, you paying attention here?????? Bolas, are you going to make it to the boogie? Hope you're working on your pelt! Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I think your pretty whore might have to raise her prices a bit if you're offering that Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

We all know that I'm a bitch, at least that's what I've heard from a 'reputable source' We can't be airing evidence to the contrary now, can we? Shit no, you don't need to stop making fun of Chad! You realize it's your own damn fault for not coming out last weekend that you're out of date! Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I probably won't be jumping much this weekend due to the AFF class. You can either jump my rig, or if you won't stoop so low as to jump a Racer, Chad says you can jump his and he'll jump mine. You won't have time to jump much though with only the 2 of you packing. Even if I have a break in the class, I am not packing ANYTHING, my brain needs to be 100% on class. I get dibs on my rig if I get the chance to jump though Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

In precicely a month, my student loans will be paid off. Immediately thereafter, I'm going to order a fully loaded Javelin as a gift-to-self after 7 years of being frugal. So, I need color ideas. My favorite color is dark green, so that would be preferred somewhere on the rig, but if any of you are willing to post a pic of your rig to give me ideas, that would be great. Thanks!!! Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

But Strato's not coming Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda