tigra

Yes. Why do the kids always get punished and used as pawns in their parents' battles?

Define "nice"! We're talking about Ottawa Illinois here! Off the top of my head, there's a Holiday Inn Express, a Hampton Inn (I think.....) and a Comfort Inn right in Ottawa that should all at least be clean and reasonably comfortable.

Yes, South African GOLD krugerrands ............. That's what I always heard! Kept them close enough to dig up as needed, but not so close that it would be obvious!

Maybe the book will tell us what he really did with all that gold!

Speaking from personal experience, soft tissue heals at its own pace. There is a reason people say some sprains are worse than fractures. I've had two broken ankles- both times, the bones themselves healed much faster than the muscles and ligaments. The second time around I was on the ground for about 8 months and really not even close to 100% when I started jumping again. A few questions for you ....... Can you run on it? Jump on it? Jump off something the height of a chair and land on it? Do you know the proper way to slide in a landing without hurting your back or tailbone and are you willing to do it?

The easter bunny comment might, but the rest is pretty much spot on .............

Is that respect tempered any by the fact that he was an illegal drug runner and did felony prison time? Seriously, dude you might wanna watch what you say around here. I didn't know the man, but there are plenty of people here who did that might take a lot of offense to that statement. Seriously, Skittles, even people who knew and loved Roger know he had a history.

Well, one thing you can say about Roger is that it was almost impossible to meet him without forming a strong opinion, good or bad. Yes, he had a "past" that he freely acknowledged. He was a flawed individual, which he also would not deny. He was driven and determined and he pissed alot of people off. And he had charisma, that's for sure.

ummmmm .......... How exactly is he "getting away with it?" He's been pretty much pounded from all sides over this one.

Welcome to the Speakers' Corner. Just remember, if you don't agree, you are either a fatass, stupid or have no sense of humor. Maybe all 3.

I feel your pain .............. For the past several years, I've been in a "business casual" environment that has progressively gotten more and more casual. If I had to start dressing "professionally" again, I don't think I'd like it! Not to mention, I went through a few weight changes and first gave away most of my "skinny" clothes, then my "fat clothes". I don't even have a decent suit for interviews anymore! In additon to Mens Warehouse (which I think specializes in big guys) try Simms or Filenes, even Marshalls or TJ Maxx. Some of those discount chains have tailors on site and you could get a good price on a higher quality suit if you are willing to look through a lot of crap first. Good luck and congrats on your degree!

Completely naked boogie down in FL next year? Anybody wanna help me set it up? I don't care who you are- naked bodies just don't look good in freefall!

The few times I have traveled with my rig, I carried it on. I have one of those wheeled travel bags that just barely qualifies as carry on size, and my rig plus a jumpsuit fits in there pretty well. (A more traditional gear bag is usually too big and bulky.) Of course, with all the new rules its better to ask first and/ or be prepared to check it if you have to. I've heard some horror stories about airport security wanting to open reserves and stuff. When we went to Mexico for a boogie a couple of years ago, it helped that we were getting on a charter flight full of skydivers. By the time we went through security, they had already seen a whole bunch of rigs and didn't even bat an eye at ours!

Aside from the "You might catch a cold" response, I didn't see much nonsense here. The rest of the responses seem to be: Protect your handles, protect your skin, and a properly fitting suit can help your flying depending on what type of jump you are doing. How is that nonsense?

You should post this to the dogs on the dz thread in gen skydiving!

I used to jump with someone who regularly spent time at nudist camps. He wasn't someone I would want to see naked and I think those camps are full of people like him. Bless them all for feeling comfortable with their bodies, but that lifestyle isn't for me.

HOly shit dude, this seems a little crazy to me! What the hell are you doing to these dogs? Anyway, this debate is more turning into responsible pet owners vs. not responsible pet owners. People who are saying they've encountered dog crap in the landing area and dogs walking through the packing area....that's ridiculous and the dogs themselves shouldn't be blamed, it's the owners. That's not the kind of situation I was asking about when starting this thread, I don't agree with dogs walking all over the dz AT ALL. I will reiterate, my dog is quiet, tied up out of the way and picked up after. She mostly just lays in the shade all day. I really don't see how that can cause a problem for anyone. Unless of course, you go over and yank on her tail or something and she bites you. OK, two things come to mind with your post- first is you never know what can spook a normally calm even tempered dog/ animal. And there is an awful lot going on in and around the hangar at any given drop zone. Its not just agressive dogs that bite. In my experience, even a sweet gentle dog will bite when he is frightened or in pain. And 2nd- OF COURSE this thread about responsible pet ownership! If every person who brought their dogs out to the DZ was responsible, looked after their dogs, cleaned up after them and kept them from becoming nuisances, there would be no reason to even ask the question. Unfortunately, that just isn't the case and that's why dogs are not welcome at some DZs.

I just discovered Oberweis Dairy Cinnamon ice cream. WOW! Just WOW!

It was an 81 way and they got it Sunday morning, 1st jump of the day.

HUH??? Seriously, if you are training at a DZ where you are treated like a lowly peasant who has to "bow down" to the skygods and goddesses, maybe you should look for another dz to complete your training. No student or newbie should be treated the way you just described. But IF your post was tongue in cheek, I would recommend that you try to complete your training at one dz if at all possible. You'll develop a rapport with your instructors, they'll know you and your flying style, etc. Depending on where you are taking your log book and wanting to make a student jump, the DZ may or may not require you to sit through ground school all over again and start at level one. That's their right- they don't know you and want the jump to be as safe as possible for you and the instructor. Can't help you with the frisbee, and yes, question number 2 belongs in a different forum.

You've got to give in to the junk food demon every now and then! Don't stress over it.

In a nutshell, he doesn't want to spend the time and money to bring you on board and train you only to have you leave right away for a position you are better suited for. Then he has to start the process all over again. Its a valid concern for most employers in most fields. I've been on both sides of this- hiring people and looking for work as "just" an employee when I once had several people reporting to me. If you are looking for a position that pays less or has significantly less responsibility than what you had been doing, you need to convince them that you do want the job and you have reasons for wanting a change. Not lack of ambition, but perhaps wanting to learn a different field and understanding that you need to start somewhere.

I don't know if this counts as progress or not, but this weekend at the DZ there were a lot of people there who haven't been out in years. One man I used to jump with quite a bit walked past me several times without recognizing me. I guess I do look pretty different these days- and not in a bad way .......... I no longer really trust my insult-o-meter scale as far as my body fat % goes- it still shows me with a high %, but its a lot lower when my trainer checks with the calipers (still in the high normal range so I know I have a way to go yet......) Its actually about time for him to check again now that I am thinking about it! Oh and I got on a 20 way this weekend with some new state POPs record holders.

I thought about Roger a LOT this past weekend. We had a lot of "old timers" at SDC, lots of folks who were there 10 years ago at the 1st 4th of July we celebrated there. Plus a lot of new people a little in awe of the DZ Roger built. Blue Skies Roger! You are still very much missed but at the same time, your presence is still felt every day out there.

0:5:0 Great weekend at SDC with a lot of old friends I haven't seen a few years! My one regret was getting stuck entertaining a whuffo visitor most of yesterday afternoon and missing an opportunity to jump with Bolas. Sorry about that!