tigra

Kallend needs to add a little "fall rate"!

High flare on a sunset load at the end of a canopy control course. Not too embarrassing, huh?? I'm thinking my depth perception was off due to the light. (It wasn't bad when we took off, but I was on the third pass...)

That's what I thought! There's a broken leg message board with a lot of whiny paranoid people who insist you should carry a card from your surgeon! I thought the scar and the still ugly ankle would be sufficient! Thanks guys! maura

OK, maybe not exactly skydiving related, but I figure a lot of people here might be able to answer this question. Has anyone with hardware had any problems travelling lately? With the increased security and higher settings on the metal detectors? I broke my ankle 11/1, I've got a plate and a whole bunch of screws in there. I'm going on vacation next month and I was wondering if it would be worthwhile or necessary to got a note or card from my doc. maura

Thanks for the update Amber! He's made us wait a little too long between installments up til now! maura

Get well and feel better soon Jerry! maura

Well, I've still got mine and my dentist tells me there is no reason to have them taken out. I guess I'm just lucky.

That reminds me of the woman we had running our gear store for about 2 seasons. She would have one of each T shirt displayed, usually on a hangar, and everything else was folded on the shelves behind her, all in order by size and style. We weren't "allowed" to go digging through the folded shirts to find our size! She would go balastic when customers would unfold her neatly folded shirts! She'd do everything she could to protect her pile of folded shirts!

I saw it at Six Flag's Great America (Gurnee, Illinois), and I enjoyed it. As they showed the opening scenes, the "SO" and I said, "Hey, that's Rook!" at the same time.

I made my first jump at 34, and I've been doing it for 7 years. There are plenty of "late comers" at my dz, but it is probably also true that the majority of the "POPs" qualified jumpers have been in the sport for a while.

They all look like they've had some Holiday Cheer! Very cute! Thanks for the smile this morning, Michele! maura

Happy Happy!

Nope- old Whuffo friends of the SO's! No self respecting Chicago area skydiver would get married on the day of the Christmas party! I was really bummed not to be there this year!

Thanks for the pics! I was busy attending the worst wedding reception EVER and had to miss the party! maura

I have to admit, I'm a convert. I was always sceptical but decided to give it try about 3 months ago. Not only have I lost weight without going hungry, but I FEEL better. More energy, less headaches. I think I'm one of those people whose body doesn't process carbs properly, and maybe that's why it works for me. Its true, the first couple of weeks were the hardest and the smell of freshly baked bread can still make my mouth water. And its also true that one day of "cheating" (like hitting the sweet table at a wedding) can set you back as much as a week! I'm not super strict with it and I do try to be sensible about the high fat foods. But just cutting back on the sugar has made a huge difference. There are a lot of misconceptions out there, like its the "bacon diet" and vegetables are not allowed. You can eat lots of veggies, and gradually reintroduce fruits and grains to your diet. I eat more veggies now than I ever did before. The idea is to find a balance that works for you and your body. As with any other diet, common sense and a little exercise can only help! maura

Heal fast, Jessica!

I'm at work with a broken ankle, but I try to hold off on the vicodin til I get home! (I keep one "emergency" pill in my bag, otherwise, its ibuprofen while I'm at work!) Hang in there!

I had a similar thing happen a couple of years ago, but it didn't get as far as a collection agency. Just a rather large bill I received perhaps 18 months after I had surgery to remove hardware from my ankle. I contacted both the service provider and the insurance company, and the insurance company told me it was the provider's responsibility to bill within a certain timeframe and if they could not prove that they had, they were SOL. I passed that on to the service provider and gave them my insurance info. I never heard anything after that, and I was able to buy a house this year with no blemishes on my credit report, so one way or another it must have been resolved. However, I also had a terrible problem with a $34.00 bill that got turned over to a collection agency because that same lamea$$ insurance company did not pay the bill, and the service provider refused to communicate directly with them. That took several months and I don't even know how many phone calls to resolve! I'm sure it would have been easier to pay the bill, but by the time I got the notice from the collection agency, I was beyond pissed, AND the insurance company promised over and over again that they would take care of it! I wish you lots of luck with this! I think its very unfair that an honest person's credit rating can be damaged because of incompetence on the insurance company's part, or because a service provider failed to bill properly. maura

I just sold a rig through Paraconcepts, and it worked out for me and hopefully the buyer as well. (I'd like to think my "baby" went to a good home!) It didn't sell locally, and having them as a go-between was really helpful. I do know that if they have any questions at all about used gear they are asked to sell, they will have one of their riggers inspect it thoroughly, at the seller's expense. Also, most of my major new gear purchases were through them when the store was known as Activewear, and I found their prices to be very competetive. Hope that helps! maura

I stopped trying to "justify" skydiving to wuffos a long time ago, and really, isn't that what this question is about? Its just not worth the time to argue with someone who will never get it. Just walk away.

She reminds me of my Tamika when she was that age. Esse is a saint to put up with her!

I was thinking the same thing. Calicos and torties are known to be feisty kitties with very distinct personalities! I know mine is!

I love Calico kitties! What a cutie! Congrats on being "chosen" by the wild thing! She looks quite happy to be home. (She probably wasn't feral at all, just fussy!) (edited to correct spelling which still doesn't look quite right.......)

I'll try and remember that! Thanks! Its always embarrassing to leave a skydive early because your dytter went off at 6000 feet instead of 4000 feet!

I have one and I keep it set at my breakoff altitude or 4500 feet. The only real drawback is that the setting isn't all that exact and sometimes it takes more than one jump to get it where you want it. (Its just a dial with raised dots, each dot is supposed to represent 1000 feet.) Keeping that in mind, I don't change the setting all that often. If I want to break off higher than 4500, I'll change it, but if we are breaking off a little lower, I don't bother. (I just try and remember not to cut out early!) And its very rare that I would break off lower than 4000 anyway. The one thing I like about having more than one setting is that it can be easy to lose track of your time and altitude when you are dealing with a malfunction and a little extra warning can't hurt! I keep thinking about getting a newer audible for that reason, but I haven't done it yet. Oh, and mine is about 7 years old and I've changed the batteries twice. And you still get the same excellent service with L&B. maura