Nataly

Want some advice? Take all advice with varying doses of salt... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Skydiving is not an activity that requires a lot of physical fitness (although being in good health never hurts). Falling through the air is not hard on muscles / joints... Opening the parachute doesn't require any strength... Landings (done properly) are soft... You can have high or low blood-pressure, you don't need flexibility or agility or sense of direction, et cetera, et cetera. In fact, if you go for a tandem, you are basically a passenger and have very little to actually take care of yourself (aside from smiling for the camera!!)... HOWEVER... Skydiving IS risky, you CAN die, and things DON'T always go well. The good news, however, is that even though the risks are not negligible, they do not significantly increase with age... The reason I am telling you all this, is to reassure you that skydiving will still be an option for years and years to come. My mom and I did our first jump course together and she was in her 50s

OK, I get what you are saying... But IMO, if overall you do "normal" things, skydiving alone does not ipso facto make you "not normal". If you engage in many risky sports, the compound effect does make you "not normal". If you skydive for a living, that makes you "not normal" - again, with the compound effect. To illustrate what I mean: most people don't have a PhD - are people with a PhD "not normal" (overall)? Most people don't knit. Are people who knit "not normal"? Most people don't understand HTML language. Are HTML-literate people "not normal"? Et cetera, et cetera. One unusual thing about you does not necessarily make you some kind of freak... And I think the average skydiver is... well... average. Wuffos who can't conceive of jumping out of a plane believe the hype that skydiving is super-duper-extreme... Skydivers who can't conceive of spending their time knitting believe the hype that it's a super-duper-boring old-lady's-hobby... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Although I am not currently in tip top shape, I am no stranger to the concept of mind over matter... I agree that you can push yourself quite far, even when your body doesn't really feel up to it. The original plan was for him to do a rather difficult route (by himself) that would have lasted about a week... Trouble is his knee has been bothering him of late, so he decided not to go at all. I thought I'd cheer him up by suggesting we do an easy trail together over the weekend. He was delighted - not the challenge he was looking forward to, but a not-so-bad compromise... Well, at the end of the hike, even he was in pain, and I explained to him again that 3-4 hours is really all I want to do in one day. I think he assumed if we went "slowly" the length/difficulty of the hike was irrelevant... However, his notion of "slow" is still too fast for me... I explained this as well. I think he gets it now. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Wait... what? See my original message - google translate did an excellent job of making my response sound just as bad/incoherent as the guy's initial letter!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Here was the original: Dear Edward Van Kaas, It is with great humility that I received your letter today, informing me that I will be the benificiary of 50% of the sum of $8,700,000.00. At first I doubted the legitimacy of your business, but careful research on google has proven to me that your office really exists. It was with a heavy heart that I learned of the death of my distant cousin Michael, for we were very close and I loved her very much. I was even more aggrieved to find out about the tragic circumstances surrounding her death, as I was unaware a tsunami had devastated her home town. Tell me, could I possibly donate my share of her fortune to a good cause? I am a huge supporter of animal rights; more specifically, I would like to make a contribution to the Wildlife Fund For Liberated Ferrets. I also care for beavers and kittens and racoons, which are endangered species in my native country of Ngudu. Please, dear sir, kindly send me instructions as soon as possible so that I may put these funds to good use and help animals in need. I look forward to your response and bid you good day. Ok - not really eloquent, but the objective was to get a good "mutation" "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Ah ha ha!!!! I just received one of those letters telling me a distant relative died in a tsunami and I inherited millions, blah, blah... Well, I typed up a very eloquent response, converted it in about a dozen different languages on google translate and back to English again and below is the result... Hours of fun!! dear edward van kaas, It is with great joi I received your letter today, informing me that I will be the beneficiary of the sum of USD 8,700,000.00 50% I was not sure of your office, but extensive research has been legitimat google authenticated in your business. I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of my cousin Michael regretted because we were very close and I loved it. In addition, the circumstances of his death is deeply regrettable. I gotta be honest, I had not even heard of the disaster Tsunamy. tell me, is it possible to donate my share of his fortune from his fortune to a good cause? I'm a big supporter of animal rights, and I would particularly like to make a donation to Wildlife Fund for ferrets free. I also take care of kittens and beavers and raccoons are species endengered Ngudu in my native country. please, my good sir, please send me quick instructions for me to receive the funds, so that I can as soon as possible to help animals in need. I look forward to your response and I hope that you trust my most sincere greetings "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

How many sports do you know that have a "Fatalities" report in the magazine every month? Good point. Hmmmmm..... It's a small sport and therefore a fatality is meaningful to the community. One person dies in a tiny village and EVERYONE talks about it for years... One person dies in NY and no one speaks about it. Think about it - the parachutist magazine also publishes all the names of everyone who gets their licence... Does a motorcycle magazine do that? And yet MANY bikers die every year (those stats are also not published). Not saying there is no risk, but I do hold the view that the perception of the sport is hugely exaggerated and that many skydivers actively encourage this view. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Seriously, I think this is what it is... I really think he doesn't get that I am not uber-fit at the moment... Also, he has been hiking/climbing from a VERY young age, so I he underestimates how hard it is for a beginner. I obviously had a talk with him (again) and I like Wendy's idea of planning the hike. (I think it was Wendy's idea - sorry if I am attributing this stroke of genius to the wrong genius! ) I don't know enough to plan the whole thing myself, but next time I will ask him to show/explain in advance what he is planning and agree on a "Plan B" route that is easier/harder so we have options. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Thank you, Nataly

You're kidding, right?? Those things are a piece of cake. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Went hiking with the bf today... HOLY FUCKING CRAP is all I have to say... (That, and OWWWWWWIIIIEEEEEE!!) This is the third time we've gone hiking/climbing and each time I have told him I am not interested in expert-level trails/climbs... So of course he takes me off course for 8-hour long expeditions... Well... I'm sure when he does them they are only 8 hours of fun - more like 10 with me handicapping his pace... I hurt everywhere. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I'm willing to take risks, but not willing to take HUGE risks with little or no payoff. Speeding falls into that category for me. No job, meeting, friend, et cetera is worth that amount of risk for 5 minutes of time... So for me, it's a mixture of luck (as it is for everyone) and limiting the risks to things I deem worthwhile. (I rarely think the fun is worth dying for...) "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I work with a bunch of nutters who think I'm pretty tame. I am, when you think about it. I've gotten the odd disapproving stare throughout my career for not bending to social norms, but I think people generally *like* the fact that I'm open and honest. Bottom line is I make an effort to be respectful of others and always do the best work that I can. In my view this is much more important than wasting a lot of time and energy trying to be something you're not And for the record, I don't think skydiving really is "out there". Those who think it is generally haven't tried it and don't know enough about it to realise it's not the extreme sport people make it out to be. And sorry to say this but most people who give that impression are skydivers who just want to feel special. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

There's a bunch of these when you search "sh*t girls say". Very funny. I like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-yLGIH7W9Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXDpfhehb6I http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WDD2jdwdeU "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Got sent these links at work - SOOO funny!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt1gSFywHDk&sns=fb http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojnnSZcQEpc&feature=relmfu "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I used to stress about my "career"... I felt tremendous pressure to figure out what it was that I'm meant to do... The reality is that not everyone is consumately passionate about and/or supremely talented at something... Even if I were, careers rarely follow the path you had imagined (and thank goodness for that, because some of us seriously lack imagination!!). I've discovered that I'm extremely lucky for my ability to drop everything and start new... For me it's reassuring to know that no matter how low you get, you carry your experience with you and a lot of the skills you acquire in one field are transferrable in a different context... So the stuff I used to do may seem totally different, but it's all somehow relevant - you really do build on what you know. And I reckon no experience is a waste of time, so long as you do your best to get the most out of it. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

What is this "career" nonesense you speak of?? Your parents and grandparents had to pick one thing to do for the rest of their lives... You have lots of options... Work is fundamentally about earning money to survive. Anything more than that is gravy...

... When your snot comes out green?? "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

No. I directly PM'd the person in question and told them exactly what I thought of their comment. This forum is public, so it's also not behind their back. The reason I'm not saying who it is is because I'm not interested in ostracising anyone - just pointing out the childishness of the behaviour in question. I otherwise have no problem with this person. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I'm not suggesting anything, I'm just stirring up shit "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I brought him cookies... Cause he's great and always doing stuff for me and he thought I was sleeping and didn't want to disturb me and didn't realise I was waiting for him... Yes... I am a dumbass... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Ok, I confess... This poll is not well designed... Just that this is a topic I find myself thinking about a lot... Ever met an academic who was a genius at whatever abstract theory they specialised in but a fucking retard in "real life"? I have. I have also met some incredibly wise people who never finished highschool... I wonder... Does a formal education "force" you to think more critically or does it teach you to memorise the existing knowledge of a handfull of pre-selected intelligent people? How many people leave university with fresh ideas? Do people who never go to university have a better chance at innovation? Apart from a foot in the door, does school really equip you with the skills for a successful life/career? Discuss... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

OK... That would not be childish at all!! I PM'd the person back - they know who they are. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Got a PM from someone slamming someone else... Not sure why this person thought I would find that funny. Seriously. Have the balls to say something to someone's face. Laughing about other people behind their back is childish and weak. Get a fucking life and quit concerning yourself with petty nonesense. Just my .02 cents. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss