Tonto

You were married TWICE? That's amazing! It really is. t It's the year of the Pig.

Freefly? I really am a newbie there! I'm OK on my head, but I struggle on my feet - and most of the hot tips I've got have been from former AFF students of mine! We're all learning! t It's the year of the Pig.

"So before anyone knocks me for not having walked a mile in their shoes I HAVE WALKED TEN." Well you just keep on going then - preferably away from me. You and I? We are worlds apart, in distance, time, space, ideology. My biggest nightmare is being able to see your point of view - just for a second. Thin end of the wedge. t It's the year of the Pig.

Don't feel hurt. Use the power of the mind. "If one person has done it, then it is possible for anyone else to do it." That's complete crap. We cannot all summit Everest, swim the channel, win the Nobel Peace Prize, overcome Cancer or become world record freedivers as the DEAD dude in your example indicates. Telling people to try is dangerous. We're all different, and cannot focus our lives on everything. That's not focus. It's this diversity which makes us exceptional. If you save one person and cause the deaths of countless others, are you a saviour or a killer? How is it that you have the right to disagree with Emma, or me, but we have no right to disagree with you? It's the year of the Pig.

Look at my profile. I'm not a newbie, and my gear is freefly safe. Is this a case of mistaken identity perhaps? t It's the year of the Pig.

Quote: "Am I personally attacking you? " I don't know... when someone says "YOU can even kill YOURself with nothing but the power of YOUR mind." it sounds a little like a personal attack to me. Sorry if it appeared defensive. Is Paranoia ever justified? You and Rhino - I don't know. Your views seem really close. He's on his GOD thing - You're on your MIND thing - and both of you seem to be poking holes in the MEDS thing. No one on the Meds side is saying that ONLY meds work. Sorry if I'm painting you with the same brush - but you're standing really close to a dude that's not against using nukes against people with a different ideology. I hope you lose the weight you want to, and overcome your phobia, and I hope that everyone out there gets the tools they need to make it through the day and be a little better at being who they are than they were yesterday. t t It's the year of the Pig.

It's an Allouette. t It's the year of the Pig.

"Open your mind to the possibilities. Yes, you can even kill yourself with nothing but the power of your mind. " Go on - prove it to me. If you're not here tomorrow I'll take that as a yes. Kill yes. To destroy is easy. But that is the path of the dark side, young Jedei. I read "the NInja" and saw all the Star Wars movies. I use "The force" when I teach AFF, but a good briefing and adequite air skills work too. So lets take something simple - Like diabeties. Why not just get your body to regulate your insulin production instead of getting all those shots? Power of the mind, you know. Have you tried using the power of the mind to overcome your unmentionable phobia? Or dealing with the ridicule you'll face if you mention it? When you get these things right, then you can start telling people about the power of the mind. Right now you and Rhino look like a pair of bullies kicking quads out of their chairs and exhorting them to use the power of the mind to walk. Let it be. If people want to go homiopathic, religious, medicated etc - just let it be. There is no right and wrong - and it's not your or my place to change an over medicated society. The dude who gets the silver medal at the olympic games would have loved to "just try a bit harder, dear." and get the gold. We're all just doing the best we can on this planet. Fat people - even those carrying 2 or 3 extra pounds - would love to learn these "power of the mind" tricks and not eat those extra fries. Nancy Reagan said it. Just say NO. Dumb people would love to just use that power to be a little smarter - and I'm trying to use it to be a little bit more patient - and failing. t It's the year of the Pig.

"Apparently he found God." Which one? Where? It's the year of the Pig.

....tic. That's what I'm thinking. No one has complete power over the mind. Who's flying the plane while you're piloting the pilot? Tried to stop your liver working? Give it a go. Power of the mind, you know. Nothing more. ....tic. It's the year of the Pig.

For the same reason you use a napkin and I use a serviete... you put your gear in the trunk, and I put it in the boot, after you check your oil under the hood and I check mine under the bonnet, and if its low, you get pissed, while I get pissed off. I nearly shat myself when one of my tandem pax told me her fanny was tingling! Know what that means here? Must be the fact that you're not with the metric system yet. It's the year of the Pig.

Low - Finding out you broke your neck "sometime in the past", that there are bone fragments floating about, that the disks between C5 and 6 and C6 and 7 have completely colapsed, and that the 1st rib and collarbone were also broken in this "Massive trauma" you can't recall (or pick out of an exciting life..) and that you may need to stop jumping or risk paralysis. High - Having the specialist view the X-rays 2 days later and confirm that the vertebrae have succesfully fused, your rib has formed a mobile and functional joint, and that skydiving is as fine as it was last week - but the camera is out of the question - and you're not a cameraman (anymore) Life is good!

And George Bush lied. He said there were WMD's - and there are non. Liar. He should be fired and go to hell. And this means he'll break the speed limit. And be unfaithful to his wife. Just a matter of time. Liar.Liar. It's the year of the Pig.

It's in your head. If you can run 15 in training, you can run a standard marathon. You should never train full distance. I'm not a runner (used to Cycle competitivly) but I've done 2 standards and one Ultra. (35m) t It's the year of the Pig.

I can't tell you what to do. I can tell you your choices in gear will be much greater in the US, and that on a 170 your wing loading will be under 1 piund per square foot. I don't think its worth you buying gear if you're doing only 4 jumps a month. Pay rig hire and do more dives. Time will reveal more answers. Good luck, t It's the year of the Pig.

What do you weigh? t It's the year of the Pig.

If you're going to err, err on the side of pulling your reserve too soon after the cutaway - rather than too late. Too late is too late. 100% of shots that don't reach the target - Miss. The in between is tricky, and that's where people die. t It's the year of the Pig.

"hearing the metal clicking on my shoulders" At last! I've told people I've heard the "clink" of the rings release on a low speed chop... but I don't think anyone believed me! I have 17 cutaways now - so my awareness is very high. I'm not alone!

"Watching it could save my life one day. " No. Doing your reserve drills could save your life one day. There is a lot of info for a student to absorb on the 1st jump course. It's not a malfunction course. I usually give students my copy of "breakaway" after AFF and before A licence. That helps round things off a little. t It's the year of the Pig.

No. From 1000 to 2000 dives I used no Alti or Audiable. I simply didn't have one, and never felt I needed one. I had no low pulls in this period - but did initiate many breakoffs. These days I wear both - as most of my dives are AFF and newbies are dependant on my performance. When someone on the load "forgets" I don't mind giving them my alti. t It's the year of the Pig.

3905:17 t It's the year of the Pig.

Vibes to Eric.... every second is a victory. t It's the year of the Pig.

"I disagree." Well that's your right. Just means you can't teach here, cos thats the rules. t It's the year of the Pig.

No Whuffo wifeo. We're an extended family - maybe 100 people there. I do 1 to 10 dives a day, spot for other moms and dads when I'm on the ground - and the kids have spent every weekend on the DZ since birth - so they're not out of their comfort zone. My 9 year old can give all AFF briefings under my supervision - and has done so. She's skydived too - only a couple of tandems. You should see the look on sone testosterone dripping 25 year old man when she says 'When you go through the door, just relax and breathe. If you get into trouble - my dad will show you what to do." The little one - 5 - can only correct students body positions on the trolly to the correct "boxman" and teach hand signals. t It's the year of the Pig.

Ah. You replied to me. Mistaken identity, I guess. t It's the year of the Pig.