Michele

Gee, Wendy, thanks for that. I had lutfisk once. I really appreciate your bright, bubbly sense of humor this morning.... Oh, and Jan? Your hazelnut latte? pshtrslkdfng;sdhgi;userhgipaerugn! Twice! I wanna spike my coffee chocolate with some bailey's but the turkey's at stake..... Yes. Well. I have never figured out the best way to eliminate that nasty melted plastic taste from the stuffing. Any hints? Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Mark, where have you been? Now, you're not supposed to cook the stuffing in the turkey, seems it's not healthy that way - potential for germ mingling or something. Not that slow cooking at 325 degrees for 6 hours is enough to kill those germs or anything. No, Mark, now you're supposed to take a whole new, clean serving dish, use some turkey broth base so it tastes as if you've cooked it in the turkey, fix up the stuffing and then cook it seperately, at a wholly different temperature, and have everything ready at the same freakin' time, with one single oven that you've had to remove the top rack because it's too freakin' small to accommodate a 16 pound turkey in the first place so there's no room!!!!!!! I'm tired. I wanna go back to bed. Can't sleep, turkey will burn.... Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Stop laughing at me.() I hate sunrises except when I'm heading to the DZ. And of course I had insomnia, because I was worried about oversleeping. And there is not enough coffee in my house to make me a happy camper...well there is, but I want a Starbucks treat. Maybe I'll put some hot chocolate into the next cup. That may help....but at 10, I start the gravy - boil up the gibs and neck, and make sausage stuffing...baked my own bread for the stuffing yesterday. I can't even nap because of the basting! Drat!!!!!! Sigh....next year? Chips and dip. (Of course I say that every year....) Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

O.K., I'll try. Well, I'll try harder... Alright, alright already! Stop tickling me...

LOL, um, not for me....and most certainly not at 4:30 in the morning to remove giblets and neck... Same thing they had against pemmican...it's not, well, appetizing...at least what I've eaten of it....people are so narrowminded (as I baste a turkey for thanksgiving...how narrowminded!). I really just wanted to bring some Guiness... Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

I don't need a website to tell me I'm not... Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

So, my office, in the interest of being as politically correct as a group of 80 people can be, decided to have international thanksgiving (identify your heritage, and bring something from that country). Kewl, no problem with that. It's potluck. Again, no problem with that. And it's today.... As of Friday, the menu read something like this: Enchiladas, tamales, hummus, greek salad, about 10 cakes and pies, meatballs (swedish and italian), potato salad, green salad, tons of chips (potato and tortilla), "a chinese dish" (which was not identified), caramelized pecan salad, and pork ribs. I kept thinking...I'm Scots, Irish and american indian. Pemmican didn't seem to go over well, nor did haggis. My personal choice was beer and whiskey, but I was informed that was inappropriate for an office lunch. . So I got up at 4:30 this morning, and stuck a turkey in the oven. This is the first of at least three turkeys I will be cooking this month.... There is nothing comparable to sticking your hand into a 16 lb turkey at 4:30 in the morning, half asleep and wishing you were back in bed...brewing coffee and cleaning out the innards, and getting the things ready for the stuffing... Sigh.... Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Ahhhh....well then, expound away! Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Oh, don't get me wrong. I agree - as it should be. My use of the term "superficial" was not meant derogatively in any way...a pure use of the word. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

5 words to describe me... 1. Survivor 2. Compassionate 3. Fiesty 4. Inquisitive 5. Expressive Something people don't know about me, and will find hard to believe...I get really shy around too many people. I am really uncomfortable with people in large groups - theatres, malls, amusement parks, stadiums - and feel very vulnerable and anxious around people I don't know. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

I was taught about it in a very superficial way - no details, just a broad overveiw of it - in my FJC. Same with RSL. I knew it was there, I knew what it was supposed to do, and I knew that it didn't always do that. I knew that it was a last resort only, and that it wasn't an option for me to wait for it instead of pulling silver (with an RSL, that wouldn't have happened, but like I said, it was superficial). Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Back to the serious side of the conversation.... I am on a tight budget, but if I ask for a special thing, I make sure I do the manifest and have all the tix taken out of my account. When someone offered to jump with me because I was new and he was really experienced, and then a camera guy came along, I made sure all of those came from my account. I have sent small tokens of appreciation to several people on these boards for helping me with something, or just because they've done something which was definitely needed and appreciated. A j/t is an easy way to say thanks, and to know you've put a smile on someone's face the same way they did for you. I have also been the recipient of the same gracious gesture, and it really does make a person grin... As for being in a relationship and who buys the j/t, I dunno. I'll tell you, though, I don't expect it, nor do I want it. If I can't afford to jump, I don't show up at the DZ. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

my .02.... These guys are beyond great. I still have to get out and finish the class, but what I have learned already is beyond great. I am whatever comes before beginner, so I won't be taking these classes, but they are great! (O.K., O.K., I know I said that, but I really mean it!)

Well done, Tiff. Sending get well soon vibes..... Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Hi, Lisa... you said it better than me when I wrote... Thanks for making sure that everyone knows that thanks are due to all! Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Absolutely. I totally understand. Ever heard the phrase "before you empty the luck bucket, better get the skill bucket full'? We are at the stage where we really need to make sure the skill bucket gets as full as it can be before jumping again. I've had my landing "luck" bucket overturned. As a consequence, I am taking the canopy control class. I need to learn skills now, not just play. Playing is good, but that will come later. For now, it's all about filling up the right bucket.... You're on the right track. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Thank you to all those who've served our country. You allow me to live free and chase happiness. Sometimes you gave simply your time, sometimes you gave your life. Always, though, you gave your heart. Your gift does not go unnoticed and unappreciated by me. You are not forgotten, and you are deeply respected for your commitment and gifts. Thank you. And thank you to the families of the veterans. You who sometimes suffering the greatest loss...you are not forgotten either. And those who served in ways uncountable and unrecognized - thank you, too. For those who currently serve, and face the terror and horror that war truly is with courage and conviction, thank you, too. For without you, where would I be? This is not a nation thanking you, nor is it for one nation's military personnel...this is one lady, understanding how much freedom means, and on Veteran's Day, thanking everyone who has or is serving, and who has fought for that freedom. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

20:0:0 20 hours worked since Saturday morning (yes, I count the time I spend on DZ.com as work, if I'm at the office waiting for a client to show) 0 but hopefully that will change shortly 0 nothing owed, several consumed... Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Hi, RSG... Wing loading is simply the ratio of weight suspended under canopy to the square foot measurement of canopy over the weight. If you weigh 185 lbs, and your gear weighs 20 lbs, you have a weight load under canopy of 205. If you have a canopy which has 205 square feet, you will then have a wing loading (weight suspended:canopy sq. feet) of 1:1. If you have a suspended weight load which is higher than then square feet of canopy, then you have a "higher" wing loading. A good example of that would be if you had a suspended weight of 205, but flew a canopy of 170. That ratio would be considered a "higher" wing loading. Students learn on generally very low wing loading because they have a very large canopy. If they weigh 205, they may fly a 280 sq. ft. canopy. And newer jumpers gradually get smaller canopies as they learn to safely navigate the canopy to the ground and how it handles in the air. It takes a long time and a lot of jumping to be good enough to handle a wingloading of 1.5+:1...at least in my opinion. I cannot talk about the differences between ellipicals and semi-ellipticals, because while there is a difference, I don't understand it very well. And that is the limit of my knowledge about weight loading. I am a newer jumper, so I don't know much. Take it for what it's worth. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

That was me a year and a half ago. Which is exactly why I started jumping. Boxed in, trapped. This was my freedom cry. And I keep crying freedom as often as I can afford it. Some people around me think it's about the neatest thing someone could do. Some people want to do it with me, if there is a group I'm chatting with - but when push comes to shove, they are not found. Some people try really hard to help me (Bad landing again Michele? Hey, why don't you try..."X"), even tho they've never considered jumping. Some listen to my adventures and shake their heads...and some, like my assistant broker, tell me to go jump if I haven't in a while. I am never sure of their motives when they say that...LOL. Dad doesn't get it, but is grudgingly proud of me. Mom really gets it, and to her credit, has talked to me about her concerns and listened when I gave what little explanation I can about it. My nephew, otoh, thinks his Noni can fly - sort of like Superman - and loves to see my videos and pix... As for the rest, it's all good. Whatever they think, that's what they think. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

LOL...yeah, well, I can see your point...if I am in a donor center where I haven't donated before, I tend to chat (well, don't I always???) or read. But I have a regular hospital where I go, generally with the same staff, and they know me and don't bother me, and I close my eyes and rest....I dump a pint very quickly - something to do with really large veins - and as a consequence the nap is very short. There was this one time, though, that the needle felt really odd...vibrated in rhythm with my pulse. Turns out it was situated incorrectly, and was resting against the valve right there. That was weird. I didn't nap that day... Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Hi, Rev... See, you didn't quote the part where I admit to being an utter chicken shit, did ya! LOL.... Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Hi, Kris... I have been watching this thread with the same "geesus, people" thought that you seem to have. I'm new. I know that there are people who do this for shits and grins. But it scares me, and always will. Some of these are accidents/emergencies, and lessons were learned. Some are intentional, and honestly relating their experiences. I wonder, though, how many of the folks who do this "for fun" have had serious malfunctions and/or cutaways, not on their low pull but otherwise? I dunno, but my early cutaway really put some serious respect into me for the ground, and a sincere desire to not go pushing the envelope much more than I absolutely have to. I know I err on the side of caution, and people jib me for it. But man, it's some scary shit we're talking about... For the record, my lowest intentional pull to date is 3,600. That was low enough for me. Plenty low. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

After, silly! I mean, really. Haven't you ever seen outdoor survival skills on tv? It's only when you're in the garden do you eat them raw. Cooking them crisp is like having a side dish of fried, well, maggots. Besides, aged beef has the best flavor, wouldn't you agree? Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~