DontPanic

You should be aware that in the Southern U.S., a new termite, called the Formosan, is making inroads. They are very prevelant in New Orleans right now, and are beginning to show up in Mobile, AL. I'm not sure about Texas. These termites don't need to return to ground, which makes killing them much harder. IMHO, you have some time to talk to a few exterminators. Typically, you don't have to act so fast you can't get a few quotes and different opinions. But you should definately be working diligently on addressing the issue.

Next, you'll probably crush my preconceptions about how the Utah Jazz came up with their name.

Hhhmmm, I'm gonna take a swag and guess it has to do with the LA in LAkers.

When I read it, I was reminded of a newer saying: "... the other white meat"

I did a single static line jump when I was 34. I had hoped to find some more friends to go with me, but no-one was interested. Now, I'm 41, and I'm just doing it. I got tired of waiting an everybody.

Excellent, it looks like I have something fun to look forward to.

Congratulations on your 100th, and good luck on your HALO if I don't see you before then.

As a student, I have been voraciously reading the posts and training articles I've found on this site, and I ran across some articles on canopy control that address this question in general (I'm not sure if it applies to a Sabre). Following the link for "Survival Skills for Canopy Control" in the training section, theres a chapter on getting the most out of your canopy: http://www.skydiveaz.com/resources/book_chp4.htm If a read the article correctly, a canopy at half brakes will have the slower descent rate, but not cover as much ground. In full flight mode, you'll cover more ground even though you are descending faster. Another article even suggests that applying alittle front riser can increase the ground you cover even more, while also increasing you descent rate.

I can hardly wait to see some results from this thread. I've been spending the last several weeks going through the static line course, and I've just finished my fifth free-fall jump. I've been having a blast learning how to skydive, but I'd love to find a way to make that harness alittle more comfortable when the canopy deploys. I've also been scouring these forums and talking to people at my DZ for suggestions about making the harness less painful. Maybe I can list the suggestions I've heard, and let people comment. (1) Tighten up the leg straps. This is a very common suggestion. Just make sure they aren't so tight you can't arch. Your instructor can be very helpful in showing you just how tight is practical. (2) Watch you body position during deployment. If you're backsliding or tracking forward, or pitched, that can make it more painful. It's hard to go too far wrong here while your still on static line, but it's worth listing. (3) Wear some extra padding. I've tried wearing an extra pair of gym pants, but that didn't seem to help much for me. (4) Stretch before jumping. This will loosen up your leg muscles, which are usually in a cramped position anyhow on the ride up. (5) You may have just run across a hard pull. Sometimes the canopy just deploys harder than other times. So far, the only thing that's worked consistently for me is to pace myself with only one or two jumps a weekend, and heal up during the next week. The one day I squeezed in three jumps taught me that lesson. It has certainly slowed down my progress, but I'm still having alot of fun, and I enjoy it much more than if I beat myself up with three or four jumps in the student gear in a day.