bob.dino

I was a night owl until I started skydiving. Now I'm more of a morning bird.

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Here's the thread.

Icarus would be knowingly helping you to evade tax if they shipped it to an EU address, which is illegal. So, they're unlikely to do it without adding the VAT. Sorry mate.

I was referring to the someone accidentally burning you, rather than your gear. And, yeah, I recognised that you were being hyperbolic. I was just pretending we were in SC . Anyway, time for me to ramble off. Have a good evening.

Ha ha ha! Muppet .

Don't you think that treating an accidental burn as assault is overkill? Do you punch out people that spill their drink on you? edited to add quote

I just tie the risers together if I'm packing on grass. On a slippery floor, I'll use weight on top of the tied-together risers. Our DZ has a stock of jumper-provided weights, and carpeted indoor packing areas. Grass is available for when it gets busy. The professional packers, in their separate air-conditioned room (!), use carpet remnants to get air out of the tandem canopies.

That's about the only way to get (part of me) to salute a foreign nation's flag .

No smoking here. I've no problem with other folks smoking, as long as a) it's away from my gear, and b) I'm not eating. Pretty much everyone is considerate enough for these not to be issues, so as far as I'm concerned, it's all good.

Ray Charles Otis Redding Marvin Gaye Aretha Franklin Erma Franklin Cab Calloway Sam & Dave John Lee Hooker

...for every jumper on the load .

Everyone quits skydiving some time . At my DZ, about 8% of those that do the first jump course finish their AFF. In Australia AFF doesn't start with tandem jumps, so this figure excludes all those who got given gift certs, etc.

Credit cards charge the merchant a fee, not the end customer... it sometimes gets passed on, but not always. The ATM fee & potential credit card fee are much smaller than the bureau de change fees + spread you'd pay. So stick with the plastic! As an aside, you know some places advertise 'no commission' foreign currency exchange? They just widen their spread, and make just as much cash . But most importantly, have fun in the States

That's your spread mate - one is from USD->AUD and the other is AUD->USD. If you look in the window of any money changers, you'll see a buy and a sell price, and there's usually a 10-20% difference. Which, to be honest, is fucking scandalous.

Rightyo, this is something I know lots about. There are two different rates - one for USD->GBP and one for GBP->USD. The difference is called the 'spread', and it's where the banks make their money. Everyone in the Foreign Exchange (FX) market pays a spread. The more FX you trade, the narrower/smaller this spread is. Mere mortals like us change bugger all money, so we get hurt on the spread. Now for the fun bit: the worst exchange rate is the one you'll get at your local Bureau de Change (eg. Thomas Cook). You'll get a much better rate if you simply take your money out of an ATM in the USA using either your Mastercard/VISA or your ATM card. If you're with a UK bank and take money out abroad using your ATM card you'll most likely pay a 1.5% fee. This is still shitloads cheaper than a BdeC. Anything that can be paid for using your CC should be paid for with that handy plastic. If your ATM card has PLUS or Cirrus symbols on the back, it'll work in about 99% of ATMs across the world. And it'll happily give you USD. There are only really two reasons for using traveller's checks: 1) you're travelling somewhere without ATMs or banks. 2) you're afraid of losing your cards and being without access to cash. 1) is not an issue in the US of A. 2) can be avoided if you keep your credit card and ATM card separate. One in the hotel safe with your plane tickets, and one in your wallet. Note that you can walk into a bank with your CC and passport and take out as much money as you like. However, since pretty much everywhere in the US appears to take plastic, use it. I can go on about this for ages, so if you need more info, PM me. edited: for clarity. edit2: in bold.

A nicely handwritten one on high quality paper would be a lovely gift.

Ireland never gets particularly cold. It's rare to have a day where the temperature stays below freezing, though in winter the nights regularly drop to -2 or -3 celcius. Average in January is probably about 5 degrees. The flip side is that in summer it never gets all that warm. The July average is only 15-16 degrees. A very pleasant, changable climate that's absolutely fucking shit for skydiving .

There's a couple in Dublin, but Mayo? There's only about three trees in the entire county!

A hot whiskey will cure what ails ya.

Palm Trees? Are you sure you were in Ireland?

Then click this. edit: or this.

I've learned that if you can avoid bitterness, you'll come out of a betrayal a stronger and better person.

There will be hot Aussie chicks in the tunnel in '05, but I don't think any are going quite as early in the year as I am . If y'all are nice to me, I'll make sure they look you up when they turn up .

So... it's looking like I'll be in Perris in late January for my first taste o' that tunnel crack. What's the weather like there 'round about that time of year? Good for jumping? I'll be leaving 30C+ (85F+) temperatures in Sydney for a SoCal winter. Will you folk keep me warm even if the weather doesn't?