tsampson

Vibes sent your way.

My inheritance. My dad totally wanted to skydive, but couldn't because of health conditions, so when he died and then my mom died shortly after him, I said, "F#ck this, I'm doing it!," and I blew a chunk of my inheritance on AFF and gear.

Playing with my kids!

Dude, I was eating chocolate lucky charms. NOT a good image. There, I got this thread and the surfer girl one covered in one reply. You wouldn't be talkin' about my family would ya'? Kramer: By the way, confirmed today, we are going to the OrFun boogie.

I got 10 in a row, but I practice alot for real at work.

I'm a government attorney. I excusively practice prosecuting child abuse cases.

$800 on concert and airline tickets, rental car, etc. Flew to Seattle from Florida to watch the Dave Matthews Band (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), with my brother and sister, at an incredibly beautiful venue (The Gorge). Or maybe the $200 for 1/2 hour flying an L-39 Albatross.

I vote option one. I say subconsciously, you are leaning towards that choice, hence naming that one option one.

1. Whats your name? Trista 2. How old are you? 31 3. Why did you decide to start jumping out of airplanes? To see if it made living seem like a better option than dying. 4. Are you single or taken? Married? Married for 7 years (to another skydiver, of course). 5. Do you have kids? 5 year old boy and 3 year old girl 6. What do you drive? My friends crazy. 7. Have you ever done a kisspass? No 8. Where do you live? Tampa 9. Do you have any pets? Only if kids count. 10. How many jumps do you have? 68 11. What color eyes do you have? Blue 12. What is your nationality? American 13. Have you ever dated someone you met off the internet? No 14. Favorite Movie? Hamlet 15. What do you do when you arent skydiving? Work and family 16. Have you ever BASE jumped? No 17. If not... do you want to? Maybe in a long time 18. Do you have siblings? 1 brother and 1 sister 19. Where do you want to travel to the most? Asia 20. What's your favorite color? Blue 21. Where was the last place you flew to ( not skydiving )? Rochester, NY

Damn, you sound like how I felt a few months ago. I was PLF'ing almost all of my landings, and getting more frustrated with each jump. I was angry with myself, thinking "I should be able to do this by now." I went and got canopy coaching with Scott Miller, and something just "clicked." Now I'm nailing the landings. I too was jumping a Spectre 170. There was nothing wrong with that canopy, but it just isn't the right canopy for me. I demo'd a 9 cell of the same size, and the difference was amazing. Maybe you should speak to someone far more knowledgeable than me about trying a different canopy, rather than just trying a different wingloading before quitting. I hope you are able to make a decision that leads you to both peace and happiness. Blue skies.

I got the book last night (picked it up on the way home from the DZ), and the first thing I did was flip to the end and read the last chapter. I know who died, and now I can relax and slowly read the whole book, rather than race through, trying to find out. It will only take me about five hours to read the book the first time anyway, and I want to be able to savor it. If I was wondering about the end, I wouldn't focus on what was happening in that particular chapter.

A month ago, I was ready to quit this sport. I had sailed through AFF, and was getting compliments about my skills in the sky, but I couldn't get a stand-up landing for anything. I was so frustrated, and feeling the same way you were. I took a step back, went and got some additional training (Thanks Scott!), and I'm back to loving skydiving. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself. Enjoy what you are doing, and know that you will get there eventually, and if it takes a few extra jumps, well, hey, they are still skydives! Blue skies.

Sorry to hear that. Kramer responded to one of my posts about jumping solo at Z-Hills and took me on a few great coach jumps. He never expected anything in return for his time, and has even followed up with me to see if I had made some jumping buddies. Kramer, best wishes for your recovery and let us know if there is anything we can do. I'd love to help in any way I can.

I went straight through undergrad and grad school, only because I knew if I stopped for any time at all I would not go back. On the other hand, it always seemed to me that the people who who had taken time off, or who were coming back to school for a second career, always did very well. If you are having trouble in all of your courses, it might be the material, but it might be your study/learning skills. I would suggest getting advice from a guidance counselor or the equivalent. If you can afford it, your school might offer a course in study skills. It won't count toward your major, but it might count as an elective. A light semester with that class and something else that you would find fun that would re-energize you and rebuild your confidence could be a good compromise between leaving school and pushing on. Good luck.

No kidding. At least I don't feel so bad about having to do other things this weekend. I sure wish at least somebody local was getting jumps in though.

Frankenotter!

Female with a score of 100.

If you aren't speeding, you are quite a bit slower than me. Move out of the left hand lane. I hate having to swear at you when my kids are in the car.

That must make me a dork too, 'cause I eat mine just the same way.

I racked up an enormous amount of student loans in law school. Tuition at a state school would have been nominal in comparison, but I went to a private school to stay close to family. No regrets there. Now I am doing government work that pays crap, but that I feel is very important. I voted "I'll never pay off my loans."

My day today rocked. I actually enjoyed skydiving for the first jumps in a while. I finally nailed two consecutive landings after having two great RW dives. The first was a four way with friends, and I got some great teaching out of it. The second was a two way with another low timer I met today. As for that, at least we had fun! That's not bad for leaving the DZ by noon to celebrate my daughter's 3rd birthday.

Congratulations! I can hardly recall the night I finished my last exam of my first year of law school, and it isn't because of how long ago it occurred. I do know there was dancing on tabletops. The worst year is over.

I am a second born of three. After reading several books on birth order, I display many first born characteristics. I may be a "functional first born" even though I haven't been able to identify a direct cause for this. My family's first born, three years younger than me, is more like a middle child, and our baby is definitely a youngest child.

Between my job, my children, and the rest of my life, two or three jumps is often all I can manage per month. Lots of times I have gotten only one jump then had to leave. If I thought this made me unsafe, I would not continue to jump. Surely I would love to jump more often, but one or two (or three if I am lucky), once or twice a month has to be good enough for me.

Today is my sister's RE-birthday. This is the 5th anniversary of her bone marrow transplant for leukemia. She is cancer free and now considered cured.