LuvToFly

I can't stand those little SOB's either. Have a really great large lake not too far, and used to be able to swim in it years ago. Now, as soon as you get in those frigin' things start bitin' ya. Freaked me out the first time I saw one gnawing on my leg! So what's the deal? No food, pissed off, bored. Hey, lay off the humans! "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

If you are always waiting till you have the experience, you will never get the experience. Good point, BUT it's one thing to get experience jumping with friends or jumps put together by the LO, and quite another thing getting experience jumping with people who have paid money for a camp. I don't think it would be fair to the others if I was way below their skill level. Evelyn, You should definitely go to the camp and not worry about yours or any one else's skill level. You are all students of the art of RW there, and as such, each one will have a weakness and strength - But perhaps most of all, if you don't attend you may be denying someone with a little more experience than you the chance to be a helping hand. Most people (excepting too busy skygods) love the opportunity to share with another jumper what they have learned - and will jump at the chance of taking someone else under their wing (okay, bad pun) If you have the money, and the time, I think you should go - "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Motion seconded! "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Hope you are healing up quickly! One word of caution with Vicodin. Some people have reported nightmares when taking Vicodin shortly before bedtime. I know of three people that had to stop taking it because of this. You would not notice it unless you took it just before bed, and it may not affect you in this way, but just figured would pass on the tip just in case you were to have a bad set of dreams and wonder where they came from - "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Okay, Here are some of mine: - Running down the steps too fast - while thinking about how I will execute my PLF if I miss one on the way down. - Checking to see if my flap is closed after a visit to the restroom because I don't want to have an unintentional opening - Watching a lawyer show and thinking that the term "malpractice" is a contradiction. - Seeing a cartoon character in a parachute and thinking that their wing loading is ridiculous (and then attending a swoop competition and finding out I was wrong) - Unable to hear the comedian's name Paul Riser without wondering if he can get another 50 yards by pulling down on his rear suspenders. - Getting excited to get a cloth napkin at a restaurant because I can make a salt-shaker BASE jumper - Locking up like a hunting dog when channel surfing and a commercial for "Extreme sports - crazy skydivers" comes on. - Getting cornered by someone in a conversation and wondering, "how fast AM I tracking these days?" "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Note: There are others more qualified to speak to this question than I - just giving you my take: You might want to consider the following: In conjunction with finding a good instructor - 1) Forget about the 150 for now. You need to start at low W/L, just like when you were a student. And after 2 years of not jumping, you are pretty much a student - at least in experiece 2) Rent student gear. Yeah, that not so cool 230+ canopy - if for nothing else but it's forgiving nature 3) Observe the wind speeds - jump in mild conditions at first. Not suggested dead wind, but mild wind at best so that you penetrate on the larger canopy 4) Work your way down again If you err on the side of conservatism, you will probably have less fear. Last but not least - STUDY. Go back over the SIM and all other canopy flight/landings and other reference materials you can find. Saturate your mind with the ability to perform all emergency procedures smoothly and without having to "think it out" if a situation presents itself. The appropriate emergency procedure linked with the appropriate situation should be known and second nature. There are some on here that can speak to this topic better than I as I am not an instructor. But I would not let anyone talk you into moving faster than you are comfortable in your return to the sport. Knowledge, preparedness and good judgement can be beefed up before you ever leave the ground. To me, that might be the best cure for the willys about going back up after your long layoff - "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Good point. "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Okay, caution, Soapbox ahead! You're largely fighting a winless battle on this front. In order for ethics to be an issue, you need to have some presuppositions. Two of them are: 1) You could escalate a situation in a corporation and the persons you escalate to have higher moral values than the activities that you are describing, and thereby, find it offensive 2) They are not more moral, but don't want to get caught approving or ignoring certain written guidelines in a situation based on their own CYA. The latter is what is suggested by you keeping some documentation on the situation. It's more to protect yourself than harm anyone else. Many people are passed up for promotions, raises, etc for reasons that are little more than predudicial in the final analysis, and the concept that great and ethical work being rewarded is today, a flawed one at best. The reasons for this are fairly straight-forward: With the Enron-esk things spilling out on the table, there should have been a wake up call - not to the fact that Enron execs were "bad," but that to think Enron was unique is a joke. With free enterprise there is a price to be paid. Still the best system in the world, but let's face it, of all the CEO's I know, most of them are lying bastards - and more are "found out" seemingly every month. But it's just a bandaid in this arena where the brutal get rewarded. Some may see that as the natural order of things - survival of the fittest, but it has cost corporations the loyalty of their employees as well. Many employees today would jump ship in a moment for a better deal elsewhere. When one does not get to the top of the pile of a corporation by exhibiting good character or honesty in business, you can expect little relief for such offenses - The business world is both brutal and merciless, given over to the almighty dollar. Your only recourse is to cover your butt because it will probably be the same elsewhere. Do not for a moment assume that the corporate world is ethical. Okay, I'm off the soap box now. "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Hey, Don't know why everyone is so skeptical. They have been using a transporter on Star Trek since, like August 1968, right?? Clicky this for evidence! Somebody ought to tell the dude and save us a lot of bucks... "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Ouch! I know someone that has just been in the same situation not six months ago. It is so grossly unfair. The same type stuff - special privileges, totally excused absences and lateness. Very lame stuff to see when you are working your butt off and seem to be gettin' nowhere while some bimbo scoops up all the benefits without conscience towards the other people that have to play by the rules. Keep your file detailed. Especially pay attention to anything that may be a bad reflection on the company, like behavior, language, work being screwed up, not done. done poorly or not done when due. This is a bad scenario. And for the person I know that went through this - they tried to fire THEM because they knew too much. Long story short however - it was indeed the girlfriend that got canned in the process. Too much evidence on her. Don't let this bite you. Be a lot smarter - "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Just as concerned about folks that get plastered staying up late, and then "drive" a canopy after free fall. It's a wonder that more folks are not killed in this sport.. and wonder how many of the "misjudgements" by experienced jumpers that have cost them their lives (and/or the lives of others in some cases) were either caused or helped along being hung-over. Guess we will never know - 3:00 AM drinking and jumping loads at 9:00 AM is NOT enough time - Seen SO many poor examples of this practice on DZ's that you'd think folks believed that skydiving is NOT as dangerous as driving - and that's whacked. It's ludicrious to think we might notice the dangerous effects of alchohol practices in others while folks are jumping still impaired from the night before at the DZ's. (This is NOT directed at you Lisa, by the way..) "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

This is a case for the power of GPS - There is a great variety of GPS's that will give you turn by turn directions no matter where you go. And they are portable so that you can take them from car to car, hiking, etc. I have a good sense of direction, but have often arrived at cities I have never been to before, and have to rent a car, and then find specific places, address, buildings, etc. The GPS gets you there every single time! "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Definitely- Just can't get with those bachelorette or bachelor shows. The pause.. the rose... the music...the "suspense." Get 'em outta here! "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Or..... The joke is on us, and the participants are purposely playing up their expected, whiny roles. Not that it doesn't bother them, but coupled with coaxed extreme drama queenism at play because the cameras are going... Just so we can pull a thread about it and get disturbed by it. That would mean, the producers won, and they'll keep makin' more of these. Please, no...... Just can't forget those incidents with the daytime talk shows (you know, "my cross dressing daughter is driving me crazy!!) as the new reported that they were makin' all this stuff up. That there wasn't actually enough weird stuff to book so the "pissed off" people in reality were all BS'ing, and of course, it is still going on. The biggest entertainment joke is that "reality TV" has nothing to do with reality at all. I mean, why do all the contestents on Fear Factor have great bodies? Hey, that's not reality. Let's see some out of shape person hang upside down from the helicopter trying to pick flags out of the water - that's reality! Hollywood's code for many years has been that reality sucks. People watch things to get away from reality. Reality is largely boring or tragic. So, they spike the reality punch - but then again, it's no longer reality but contrived reality Yes, I know... way too deep for this thread. I'll stop now... "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Finding out your name is not in the obituaries - "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

I think the people that really get the looks are the ones who are 50 and above. Not just someone who does an occasional tandem, but ones that are really into the sport. Within the sport, we have some terrific story-telling seniors (late-jake comes to mind) and we can admire those folks because they usually have larger jump numbers. But I am talking about starting at 50+ with zero and sticking with it. The mentality of most of the other folks in that age bracket is a bit different than 20 or 30 somethings. The "geez, I play tennis or enjoy the theatre or work out three times a week - but that's nuts for a person your age" can be a unique blend of sarcasm and jealousy actually. I think most people that get up in age have some things they wish they would have tried, but were not really gutsy enough to do, or feared family criticism, etc. Yet, when a fellow 1/2 centenarian goes for it, their not really jumping up and down with praise. Actually, many will tell you that it is "irresponsible" and things like that. This I expect - not as a rule, but it is more often true than not in this circumstance. But I am surprised to hear about the women getting a hard time in this thread from folks in their life. You mean people actually say, "but you're a girl??" Seriously lame! Girls rock and I think they are fantastic to jump with. Had a woman coach that was really great too. If anything, I'd like to see (as a man, of course...!) MORE women in the sport! It sort of sucks that THAT sterotype would still be lurking the halls. When you think about it, the sport is almost better suited to women in the realm of aerial dance, grace, etc. You know, like ice skating... err... well.. except most of the guys are not gay in this sport... oh and you don't risk your life unless you overhead someone that is just too big. Okay, bad analogy ... :) "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Now stop Evelyn. You are being too hard on yourself! If I understand what you are asking correctly, then just do this: When you want to quote all, or a part of what someone has said in a post in your response, you click on "Quote" at the top right, as opposed to "Reply" You will note that this will bring up a window where you will see something like this: [Reply.] Hey there Evelyn, how's it going? [/Reply.] Just type underneath this (like this) and hit submit. Note that you do not surround your answer with any symbols. You just type after the [/Reply} and your answer will appear under the last underline of the quoted text. Now, if you want to have just a portion of the quote included, simply edit what is between the two Reply symbols, like as in this case: [Reply.] Hey there Evelyn,[/Reply.] I took out "how's it going." Then you just enter your text afterwards. Additionally, if you want to quote someone a line from someone elses post in addition to the post you are responding to, you would have to type or copy that line in, and then begin it with the symbol [Quote.], then end the line with the symbol [/Quote.] Note that this has been made easy for you by the "quote" button that is below the small window you are typing in. Just hit the "quote" button once, then enter the text, and hit the quote button again. That will in turn create the correct characters that need to be in the begining and end of your statement. (quote and /quote). Does this help. or is this not what you were trying to do? "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Evelyn, Put the text that YOU are entering below or after the "/Reply" symbol in your quoted returns. That will separate it from the body of your response with an underline - (In answer to your question that you posed on the other thread) "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Evelyn, As you can see from above, there is really nothing to it. You simply choose "Quote" rather than "Reply" when you are adding to a thread. This will put the original quote up above. If you want to chop something out, just take out what you want between the Reply and the /Reply statements - "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

I do about 10 minutes a day, three times a week lifting a large Dairy Queen mixed cone to my face. Can usually get in about 20-30 reps per work out. On the alternate days, I like to work the lower arm using a Zenith Univeral remote with palm up, then palm down, sideways and behind the back channel changing. My wrists are really ripped at this point. "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

I think we discovered your problem. The girl has GOT TO GO! It won't be so bad. At least she will get to learn about "packing." "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Romano, Be lemon, but don't be jelly. Let her know that you have really gone on with your life. That you have had more to think about than what she's been doing all this time. The risk of taking a journey to "find yourself" is that when you finally discover it was in your back yard, it's no longer there. "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Val, Life can suck, until you don't have it anymore. It's hard to hear anyone say anything rational when you are feeling really down. None of it seems to hit the happiness nerve - But living in this very moment, and relishing whatever life we have seems to be the surest way to appreciation - and that is often the shorter road to happiness. "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Never really wore the big "W" Built my first hang glider in 1974 from a picture in Popular Mechanics - talking about all those crazy california people doin' this thing called "hang gliding" They were made from bamboo poles, polyethaline film, and tape, and yes, you really did hang by your armpits over two bamboo rails (for those of you too young to remember!). My brother and I built it the best we could considering our local supply limitations in Philadelphia. Build it just like the picture: $50 Finding a pilot to fly it: 5 minutes Feeling your first crash and burn: Priceless Been flying aircraft ever since - Skydiving only a natural extension! "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Happy. happy birthday Rosa! Hope you have a terrific birthday regardless! Blue Skies "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky