peregrinerose

So get your riggers' ticket and let him pay you Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I know a good eye doc that could help you with that Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I nominate Chris Spence as our second celebrity judge!! Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Under canopy you are not going to experience much by way of wind (at least at your jump numbers and flying an appropriately sized canopy... swooping is another story!), so the contacts won't be a problem. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

That's a dog?????????????? Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

My pics wouldn't look much different, but I am down about 6 lbs from when it started Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

A poor fit is a health issue, so there's no reason for a poor fit as it can affect eye health. It sounded as though you were referring more to the rotation of the lens.... some lenses are more stable on some eyes than others. If yours have a tendency to spin, there are plenty of other brands out there to try, some newer contacts included. If this is a vision issue with you, then an RGP or Synergeyes lens may be an even better option than a soft lens. If a fit is not right, it can cause health concerns with the cornea (unintentional corneal molding, insufficient tear exchange, etc.), and a poor fit is not acceptable. There's more to a contact lens fit than vision. Astigmatism does not mean a fit will be poor... everyone has some degree of astigmatism. All it means is that the eye is not perfectly spherical. Biology isn't perfect, so nobody's eye is completely spherical. The right lens just has to match the right cornea, that's all Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Toric (astigmatism) lenses are no more or less likely to pop out than spherical ones. Lenses usually fall out due to: Poor fit, dryness, mechanical stimulus (hitting your eye with your goggles for example), or some combination of the above. Wearing old lenses means they have lots of deposits... you tend to get a low grade allergy to deposits, which dries your eyes out. If your eyes are already dry, then drier on a jump, they are more likely to fall out than a new contact. I solved the problem by wearing one day contacts most of the time.... clear vision, no dryness or allergy problems (with the 2 newer versions of the daily lenses anyway), and if I lose one it doesn't matter, I always have a lot of spares around. Someone else mentioned Focus Night and Day, it's a good lens. A similar lens with even better optics is Purevision (And this is available in a bifocal lens, which is a million times better from a depth perception standpoint than monovision!) There are lots of good lenses out there. I wish there was one 'best' to recommend to everyone, that would make my job a lot easier, but realistically there are probably 5-6 different lenses I fit most frequently depending on the needs, health, and prescription of the patient. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

For your first gear, start with your instructors and DZO. They have the best handle on your abilities and what type of gear would suit you best. Once you're in the sport a while, you'll learn a lot about different gear and you'll have different skydiving goals than you do now. In 100-200 jumps, you'll probably be looking to upgrade plus have a better knowledge base to make educated decisions. You'll also have more connections/resources in the sport to tap into for even more advice. Then you can get a lot of great gear from the classifieds here, sometimes ebay (though a lot of them are scams, so be careful), and through your DZO. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

The doc I work with had LASIK done, she's delighted with her results. I won't do it for several reasons... at a -5.00 I see great up close without glasses, I'll love that when I'm 40. Glasses/contacts are not a big deal to me. I make my living with my eyes and see no reason to take the risk of surgery when I'm happy with how things are now. But that's just me. I do pre/post op care for LASIK and other refractive procedures. For the right patients, it's a wonderful thing! I'm picky about the surgeons I refer to and the patients that I recommend get it. I'm more interested in keeping everyone happy and healthy than taking your money, so I have no problem letting someone know if they aren't a great candidate and why I feel that way. Some don't like it and go doctor hopping til they find someone that will tell them what they want to hear. Others appreciate it. The best person to ask is really your eye doc. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Ok, JR, here's the picture. I can definitely vouch for the 20 lbs you lost... you and Doc Larry will kick serious ass at the contest this year if you both enter, you both look great!.... you may both even beat Dusty

For all of my sports oriented patients, I recommend contacts over glasses due to the improved peripheral vision. Skydiving is no different. Yes, the possibility of losing one exists, so always keep spares with you, just in case. But it should be a rare event, not a consistent thing... if it is consistent, you're in the wrong kind of lens. There's a new contact out, Synergeyes, that I could probably jump with even with loose goggles or just sunglasses over them and not lose them. The center of the lens is a hard lens, the peripheral part of the lens is soft, so it's comfortable like a soft lens, and outstanding optics like a hard lens. I've never seen so clearly in my life as with those things in. It's not for everyone, but is a newer option that's available. A year without jumping after LASIK seems extreme, I usually recommend 2 months.... anyone jumping a week out is playing Russian Roulette with their eyes and that's just stupid. That flap can STILL be disloated even 12 YEARS after the initial procedure, so it isn't something to take lightly. Let that bugger have a chance to heal down to a reasonable strength before jumping and chancing hitting it. Honestly, you couldn't pay me enough to have LASIK as a skydiver... I'd have PRK done. Immediately post op it hurts more and vision recovery is slower, but long term safety profile is better as there is no flap involved. LASIK is heavily advertised because it makes a lot of surgeons a lot of money, but it isn't necessarily the only option available. It's a great procedure for the right person, but so is PRK, as well as other surgical options. But back to contacts, wear them

Come to Chambersburg July 13-15, we'll have a Casa here to play with for the Pelt Head Boogie www.peltheads.com Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Damn, I'm glad you said that. It takes me 3-4 hours to do an inspection/repack. Good to know I'm not too freakishly abnormal with that! Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Racer, because that's what I happened to find used that fit me and had appropriate main/reserve. In 6 months I'll probably be ordering a brand new Javelin, but I will probably keep the racer as a 2nd rig. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Where in MD are you? How far are you from Chambersburg PA? They have a loft that would be happy to help. Maytown, PA is another option, shitloads of riggers there, but probably farther for you. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

My high score in 2 tries is 560 Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Selena, you might need to practice a little bit to make sure that you have the rum to jello ratio perfected. Since I'm so completely altruistic, I'll sacrifice the time to taste test any demo batches for you Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Does this mean Dusty is disqualified this year? That would alleviate the concerns of some of the contestants that were beaten by his canine-ness last year Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Well, Selena had talked about making Jello shots anyway, so that may already be covered. Plus we'll all be a bit happy (hopefully!) after judging all the cabana drinks I nominate Kyle for lifeguard... he has experience in the field. I doubt any of the ladies would have much problem getting mouth to mouth from him either, should the need arise. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

The Black Stallion Where the Red Fern Grows The Muppet Movies Star Trek and Star Wars movies The Neverending Story Krull Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

If anyone is flying in and needs a ride from an airport, let me know, I am willing to help coordinate rides. I live near Harrisburg International and would be willing to pick up anyone there depending on flight times. I also have a 2 person tent, air mattress, and sleeping bags that I'm willing to loan to the first asker. And there are at least 6-7 ladies in the pudding wrestling match... Kevin, don't get so distracted by finding an appropriate sock that you forget the wrestling set-up Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Other people are best at determining how I come across. I am best at knowing my motivations and insecurities. So the answer is both and neither. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Is step 4 a secret? Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I prefer to hang out with people very different from me, tends to be more interesting and educational an experience, but I'm satisfied in my own skin most of the time. I gave it a 7. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda