Michele

My "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

Oh "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

I do have an older brother, David. He is not a writer, and he is not an actor. He drives one of those really big cranes, and all the other ones, too. He came with me on my first jump, like Dad did, but he won't go jumping. He thinks I am nuts, but there is a grudging respect that comes along with it. On the other hand, his son, my nephew Jonathan, 2 1/2 years old, has decided that he wants to fly like his Noni (me). Everytime I wear a t-shirt about skydiving, he points and says "me too". He loves watching my videos, and laughs and claps his hands each time I land (of course, I am thrilled each time I land, too!!). He'll see an airplane, and holler "Hi, Noni" (according to his mom). And he knows what a parachute is, although he can't say it. He calls them "wings on top", as in "Yuukit, Mommy, Noni wings on top movie!" O.K., enough blathering about my nephew (and don't get me started on the baby!) Ciels- Michele "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

Hey, Chuck! Yep, that's him. Then he gets shot and killed. Most people quote that line or the other one from JW: "I'm not yer pawwwwwwww".....but he is my paw..... Ciels- M "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

Much better link, thanks, Phree! "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

You have an uncle just like him? Consider this. I have a father just like him!!!!!!!!!! (Always teased Dad because there was no acting required for his rendition of Uncle Leo!) "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

Flyhi, the title of that post led me to places better left unexplored..... The Shadow Knows...... Well, Pops is not Sutherland, Eastwood (although he's a doll), or any "name" you would know right off the bat. But his face you would! His name is Len Lesser, (and my name is Michele Lesser). Most recently, he's been doing sitcoms, and such. Uncle Leo on Seinfeld, Uncle somebody or other on the sitcom with Helen Hunt and whatisface that went off the air recently (3 years ago?), Caroline, Sex in the City, and Everybody Loves Raymond (and some others, but I forget which). He was nominated for an Emmy twice, once for Seinfeld and once for the Helen Hunt one (gawd, I can't remember!!!!!) His "early" work includes Birdman of Alcatraz, Papillion, Route 56 (?I think), and a bunch more. Did a bunch of work in the Beach Blanket bingo days, with Anette Funicello and Frankie Avalon. He was a regular on the Monkees, and did some work in Get Smart, too. Lots of guest starring roles, like in Bonanza, Love! American Style, and Love Boat. He tends to play "bad guys", and I must have seen him "die" about 200 times in various things. He was recently called for for The Sopranos, but then there was some sort of conflict, so they're waiting on that. I'm going to try to attach a page which has his face on it (I just ran a search for him, and he has 12,600 mentions on the web!) If you want to see a pix of him, copy/paste http://www.what-a-character.com/cgi-bin/main.cgi?indexby=film&title=Ain't No Way Back. Yup, that's my Dad. Never meant to keep you in the dark, or out in the cold, or whatever. Sorry about that. Ciels- Michele "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

Yeah, well, having a flat wallet is torture when the weather is great. Like today. Blue skies, little wispy clouds, lite winds, and no cash. Ugh Micehle "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

Cough cough cough gasp.... yeah, right. Be happy to write something. But what? Any suggestions? "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

What they said. Also, another benefit to renting equipment is you'll find out what fits your body better (although if you go custom you don't need to worry about that so much). I know Square1 has a demo program, where you deposit a certain amount of cash and can "rent" for free all the equipment they have in your size. This will give you a really good feel for the type of equipment you will want to buy. And once the choice is made of equipment, the original deposit $$ are credited toward the purchase cost. That's the plan I will be using in the near future (I only have 25 jumps). Talk to your jm's, talk to the gear store about a demo program, and wait on making decisions. Ciels- Michele "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

Because I still consider myself a real beginner, I will think about it if students are put on windhold. And I will get the advice of people who know how I jump, and see what their opinion is. Then I'll make my decision, based on the "better safe than sorry" method. Most likely, for now, I'll stay on the ground if students are staying. Later, that'll change, I'm sure. Ciels- Michele "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

Yahhhhhhhooooooo for you! And a great photo, as well! Ciels- Michele "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

Hey, SniperCJ Posted on 11/16, in reply to "Fonz", and contained on the thread "right of way under canopu" (or maybe "The Finer points of skydiving" ~ I can't remember which) our very own Mr. Groper stated: . You remembered correctly! BTW, I wonder what he gropes? Ciels- Michele "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

Look! I made a clique, or I'm a comrad (whatever that is), or at least a Co-hort and/or an Asshole buddy. Just what I always wanted to be!!! Thanks, groper, for giving me my place in the universe. I am found!!!!! Now, there's an idea! what happened to comrad? Does Skygod(ess) translate to Comrad? I guess Protec and Altimaster II's are hightech.....so is rental equipment and a huge 210 chute... That's cause you don't have a heart. You're the Tin Man. What's faschism? Fascism under alcoholic influence? well, at least Sangiro can spell! Slavery? Buying and selling people? Wasn't that constitutionally banned, like, a long time ago? Actually, this destroys any case you might have. It indicates that you would have been happy to have this public, which Sangiro provided for you... (as groper is hoisted on his on petard...) . You mean you did this sober? What the fuck are you like drunk? Hey, Sangiro, this one is beyond me. What's "job it up you fucking british ass"? Reconstructed, it would make sense, as in "job it up(,) you fucking british ass"; correctly spelled, it would be "j(a)b it up you(r) fucking british ass".....And I just have to ask: can a guy shove his own dick up his own ass? as in "job it up you fucking british ass, Dick...." Cool, now consult a dictionary. Or at least use the spell check which Sangiro has provided. Uh, he can't allege he's a liar. If this is the result of consulting Legal "Counsil", you have a problem. your obvious stupidity might. actually, groper, you seem to forget that you threatened, and continued to threaten, two people on these boards with physical harm. And one was a woman. So, groper seems to be physically violent, homophobic, mysophiliac, and mysoginistic, with a huge dose of wanker inferiority, and definitely has trouble expressing himself in coherent sentences. Yep, we got us a weiner.... Take me on, groper. I'm a woman. Try to "knock (my) teeth in". "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

Morning, Lawrence. It's kick ass all the way. Congratulations, and welcome. And Nimbus, you're going to go up and be absolutely fine, and get out and have a ball. Ciels- Michele "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

Me too!!!!!!!! And Viper, Yeah, but that would mean I would have to listen to it too! It's too much like the Chinese Water Torture.....or some mideval stretching rack, or something. Brrrrrrgghhhhhsssshhaaaaaaaa. How the hell do you spell mideval, anyway?

So, here I am, happily playing computer games with the TV on in the background. When all of a sudden, there is a huge crash, and I look over to see the cats wrestling on the coffee table, laying on the remote control. The TV is now flashing many different messages, and then, bang, it tunes into the NSYNC Benefit Concert!!!!!!!!!!!!! And the vcr is telling me it's taping it. And I can't turn the f*kin (sorry mrs. radloff) channel, and I can't get the damn vcr to stop taping, even tho there's no tape in the thing!And every time I turn the TV off and then on, it comes back on NSYNC!!! I can't undo whatever the cats did!!!! ARGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! This is utter torture, pure, unadulterated torture. Fuck it all to hell and back! (really sorry, Mrs. Radloff). Sigh. Thanks for listening. Ciels- Michele "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

Have a ball, Lisa. You deserve it.

My dad was in that. And, as usual, I have never seen it! (I rarely see his stuff). Ah, ungrateful daughter I am (and he never hesitates to tell me so!!!! lol... ) Ciels- Michele "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

Hey, Lori - that's a great picture of you! (The one which shows up when I click). I saw the PO8 photos on the Perris webcam. That's really funny, though, them getting picked up by radar. I am sooooo jealous - looks like still another week or so before I can pitch out into the air again. Sigh. Go have a jump for me! Ciels- Michele "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

It's cold outside. I wrap up well and venture into the night. Hoping my neighbors don't decide to call the cops, I stretch out in the courtyard, place my pillow under my head, and begin to wait. The moon has set, but there is lots of ambient light from the streetlights. I feel the cold, damp concrete under my back; my nose has gotten very cold. But a pillow cushions my head, and I settle in. I wonder if I will see anything, I am still in the city, I didn't make it out into the desert as I had planned. Peace comes stealing back into the night. It is about 2 a.m., and not too many people are driving by on the street. I can hear the hum of the freeway, not to far away, but I can hear the night more clearly. It is different, laying here in the dark, beyond what I usually know. The night brings a silence to the world that, upon listening, is not so silent. I hear the raccoons rambling around the yard, rustling through the bushes, hunting the big black trash can, cornering it, making sure it can't roll away. They pounce. Crashbangsplat there it goes, and I hear the chittering of the raccoon family, having a feast on refuse. Well, I'll clean it in the morning, I think. I just hope that the raccoons stay occupied and not come see this lump in the courtyard, this lump that is me. The sky is gray at the edges of my view, as the clouds come creeping in. Stalking the rooftops, the misty haze surrounds the night, blurring the stars, making outlines indistinct and soft. The air, even though it is cold, is gentle. I look into an open spot, a spot not yet occluded by the gauzy clouds, and see deep into the universe. I look as far as my eyes can take me, deep into the black, studded by many stars, some which I can see but more which I cannot. I am in a light-polluted city, and cannot see the utter beauty which is only hinted at by the patch of clear. I identify Orion, and find the box that is Pegasus. My eyes roam the night sky, looking for friends. There - there is Saturn, and now, I see the faint red star that is the Eye of the Bull, Taurus, on the western horizon, barely visible. I reach with my mind, looking, feeling, seeing, the harsh blackness that is space and through which Earth spins, dancing the eternal dance, circling the sun. It is not kind, this blackness. It is not gentle, nor velvety. It is stern, unforgiving. It is cold, and beautiful. It has been years since I spent time at night outside, and I wrack my brain, trying to remember all the things I knew as a child. Which star is that? And is that a planet? What about - no, that's a plane. I wait, patience running low, cold seeping through my skin and deep into my bones. I wait for the stars to dance for me. I wait, huddled under my coat and in my sweats, I wait. And there - splashing across the sky, flies bits of light, green, blue, yellow, pink - the meteors are here, the stars are dancing. They come from all directions, sailing through the darkness, slicing open the black like brightly colored knives. Like a child throwing sand into the breeze, the meteors scatter in the solar winds. They flame as they enter the earth's atmosphere, showering the sky like a kicked log at a campfire. There - I see a fireball, watch it as it flies through the night. I am holding my breath. It's tail stretching behind it, marking the path it came from, I watch the star shoot through the night sky, from one end of my vision to the other. I see this magnificent sight, bluewhite, and then it bursts, explodes, disintegrates right before my eyes. It blazes a path on my mind. It burns itself into my memory; it buries itself in my heart. It touches me, somehow, this meteor, in it's final moment of existence. It reaches me, and shows me again the wonder I knew as a child. The wonder of the Universe, the vastness and the greatness that we live in. It reminds me that the world is not only what I see as I trudge through my daytime life, and hide indoors at night. It demands my attention, insists that I throw back my head, and remember, as a child, the Bigness of it all. Hope you all had glorious weekends! Ciels- Michele "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

I have watched Jack Gramley (Perris S&TA) radio in to manifest and get the final count from the load. He then stands there and counts, and, only when the last jumper has put down, will he say "that's the end of the day". I asked him if he really stands there all day, every load, and counts, and he replied "not just me, but if I'm doing something, then someone else stands there and counts". I thought that counting the jumpers down was done everywhere! Ciels- Michele "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

If you're awake, and want to see a glorious Nature show, go outside and watch the skies. The Leonid Meteor showers are cresting tonight, in the early morning hours. NASA has been reporting that earthgrazers (bolides) have been seen as often as 8 per 15 seconds. It should peak about 2-3 a.m. your local time. It is especially wonderful this year, but I won't bore you with why (lots of space history detail stuff). Look up to Orion or to the Pegasus Square, and just watch.....it is truly amazing. Ciels- Michele "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

Well done, Stacy! Good for you!!!!!!!!! Lots of hard work, and it can pay off. And really glad to hear someone had a good week, you know? Cause mine sucked. No, it wasn't even that good. Ciels- Michele "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~

HHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhahahahaaaaaaaaaaa..... "What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky". ~e e cummings~