NWFlyer

This thread was perfect timing - when I finished it yesterday I was thinking about starting a thread just to tell people about the book because as I read it I kept thinking "Skydivers would LOVE this guy!" "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I just started reading some of the Amazon customer reviews of Riding Rockets. Everyone who gave it 1, 2, or 3 stars ranged from horrified to disappointed at his "potty humor" and "lack of discretion." They seemed to be looking for the highly varnished, astronaut-as-superhuman-hero type of book ... this is NOT that, and that's precisely why I enjoyed it so much. Mullane is very open about the fact that he, in many ways, is old school and at times probably needs to grow up and/or shut up. But he's honest... and that's the cool part. He comes across as a real human being, flaws and all, as do many of the others he describes. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I just finished Riding Rockets. Really enjoyable read - Mullane is pretty open and uncensored in what he has to say about NASA, the culture there, the lack of political correctness among the astronaut corps in his day (he calls them planet Arrested Development), NASA political BS, and the like. It's a really fun read about the really cool parts and the really mundane parts of space exploration. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I'm not sure what to make about the fact that you have Chuck Blue and me permanently linked in your mind. Chuck's a professional; I'm a rank amateur! "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Hey, some of us (not-so) old-timers can remember when there were only tunnels in Florida and Southern California (and not long before that, none at all). Just in the 6 1/2 years since I've been a skydiver they've sprouted up all over the place. You're within an easy weekend driving trip ... take advantage of it! "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Skyventure New Hampshire in Nashua is going to be your closest bet, I think. http://www.skyventurenh.com/ "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

OMG what, you're saying that we're actually people and not all alike? Color me shocked. Shocked, I tell you, shocked! "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I had guests stay with me once who did some laundry while they were visiting. They were kind enough to buy a replacement container of laundry detergent, identical to the one they'd taken some detergent from. I chuckled because my brand loyalty on detergent goes as far as "whatever's on sale." But it was a kind and appreciated gesture nonetheless, even though they'd hardly used any of the detergent. However. Oreos is Oreos, and especially if you eat the whole package, you'd better be replacing it with the real thing. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

http://www.pia.com/2011/downloads/PIA/SPEAKERSCHED.pdf "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

One of the nice things about Under Armour (and similar brands) is that they add warmth without adding a lot of bulk. To go under a custom fit jumpsuit, that can be a helpful trait. I have a hoodie from Sugoi that I love for tunnel flying (or cold weather jumping) as it helps keep my neck and head warm and also keeps my hair under control (which may or may not be an issue depending on the length of your hair, but it is for me with shoulder-length hair). Plus it kinda makes me look like a speed skater. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2011/02/bob_ashe_fiance_of_a_bay_area.php This interview with Shannon's fiance Bob was in this week's edition of SF Weekly, from an interview they conducted with Bob several months ago. Bob had commented on FB that he had a couple of issues with the article. I asked if I could share those comments here (because I think it helps set some context on the article). This was his response to me: "Thanks for checking with me on this. The only issue I had with the article was the comment that Shannon came from an abusive family. I would not have said that and I am friends with a lot of her family. In the writers defense, I could see how she might assume that from some of the stories we talked about. Anyway, feel free to share it." Enjoy. It brought back some nice memories of our friend.

The best one was two years ago when my SO got me a huge mylar balloon in the shape of a monkey holding a valentine heart. We had it in the living room and my cat immediately started playing with the ribbon hanging off of it. And the ribbon got stuck on him somehow. So the cat goes tearing down the hall to the other end of the apartment. Tearing back down the hall. Does this two or three times till the ribbon finally unhooks itself and the balloon stops "chasing" him. He then disappears under the bed, completely terrified. I went and got him a few minutes later but as soon as he came back in the living room and saw his attacker, he'd go running back under the bed. I put the balloon in a closet, and brought it back out a couple days later just to see. Still terrorized. Poor thing will probably never be able to deal with a balloon in the house again. But damn did the humans have a lot of laughs. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Reminds me of the guy I talked to in the Valentines' Day card aisle in CVS yesterday. He looks at me and says "This is going to be tough - I have to pick out 5 or 6 of these!" I just laughed and said "You've got that many girlfriends going? Damn!" (He said it was for all the women in his life - wife, daughters, sisters....) I'd say that unless you have a date with any of these women on Valentines' Day, you shouldn't get anything (and if you do have a date, Wendy's suggestion of something not-too-big is a good one). Assuming you've been up front with all of them that this is a non-exclusive relationship (you HAVE been up front, right?) there should be no expectations of a gift. Of course, Valentine's Day for me is a chance to exchange cheap, goofy gag gifts and/or silly cards with my SO and there's never an expectation of a big deal being made. So maybe I'm not the best one to ask. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Okay, here's the non-smug answer. Counting on insurance fraud as your plan for dealing with skydiving injuries is possibly as big a financial risk as going without insurance at all. Possibly larger as you could get slapped with fines or penalties for committing said fraud. I think if you get out there and start actually contacting insurance companies in your state you will be able to find a health insurance plan that does not exclude skydiving activities. You'll probably be able to find several. Based on purely anecdotal evidence it seems that life insurance policies are far more likely than health insurance policies to have exclusions for high-risk activities. Of course, you still need to do your homework and read the fine print. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

The nice thing about NorCal is that though there are people who are "homers" and never / rarely move around, there are a lot of folks who float around from DZ to DZ or who venture from their regular DZ every so often. Plus, we've only got one tunnel (yes, yes, I'll pause while everyone feels sorry for us ) so it's a place where jumpers from different DZs regularly interact. So if I venture out to another DZ chances are I'm hanging out with people I already know, who already know about the other DZs in my area (including the one where I jump most often). I might say "Hey it'd be great to see you out there for [small event, boogie, etc.]," or I might mention a skills camp or canopy course opportunity to a newer jumper, but I'm not doing any kind of hard sell. I certainly don't bad-mouth. If I'm at a DZ it's because I've chosen to go there for whatever reason. Why would I sit around and talk smack? If I don't like the place (or it's just not right for me), I'm not even going to bother to go. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I'd recommend you talk to an insurance broker, or use an online broker (www.ehealthinsurance.com) is a good one). No matter which route you take, you're going to need to contact the insurance provider and ask for a copy of the full details of the contract (alternately called Evidence of Coverage or Certificate of Coverage or just the Policy) for the plan you're choosing. Within that document you will want to look for "exclusions" or "limitations." That's the section that will let you know if they will not cover you for injuries sustained doing certain types of activities. You really need to dig into the full documents, not the slick marketing brochures that'll be 3-4 pages of high level info. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

You can be as strong as you want but if your timing is way off, it's not going to help much. However it's difficult for anyone of us to judge what the AFFI should or shouldn't be doing based on a couple of anonymous internet postings from the observations of a relatively inexperienced jumper. I would hope that if the powers that be (DZO, S&TA, other instructors) have concerns about her performance that they'd address them directly with her. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Yes, but I've also prioritized it. I don't have the most exciting job in the world, but I get paid well, I typically work only 40 hours a week (very occasionally more, but that's only when we're on a crazy deadline), I get 5 weeks vacation time (plus fixed holidays) a year (and that's after only 2 years with the company, it'll go up again when I've been here longer). I've put in the time and effort to get the degrees/experience to be in professional positions that allow me to take jobs that are deliverable/results-based, not jobs that are "face time" based. That means that as long as I get my work done, do it well, participate in the meetings/calls/activities that I'm needed in, and am accessible/responsive, I can manage my own day. So if I have the time and feel like working out in the middle of the day, I can do that. If I want to take off early on a Friday to start a weekend trip, I can do that. I have the type of job that allows me to work from home fairly often. That has its own set of work-life balance challenges - it can be great because it gives you flexibility and saves you the time/hassle/expense of a commute. But it also means that if you can't shut off your laptop and BlackBerry, work can be with you all the time. So I do that - I turn 'em off and ignore them outside of work hours. I make vacations non-negotiable. As long as I've planned ahead and notified people that I have time off coming up, I see no need to change my plans to support some work deliverable. People are rarely as important as they think they are at work (me included) and work will go on when I'm not there. I believe vacations should be vacations - if I'm using my paid time off, I'm OFF. Work does not come with me. I've worked at the jobs where the bragging rights come from how many hours you put in over a week. I've worked at jobs where the bragging rights come from hours plus how many frequent flyer miles you racked up. I travel but it's short-haul, less-disruptive travel than it used to be. No 5-hour flights, no redeyes, none of that shit. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

But I thought I heard Mubarak blame Skyride for the unrest in Egypt. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

The place Paul jumps is where I sustained the injury described in my earlier post. I was in a wide open area of the landing field, well away from anything that could have caused object turbulence... and still got caught. As Paul says, it's good to know the likely culprits, but that's not the whole picture. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I haven't received the actual issue yet (though I read what I could on the website or it might have been Facebook photo of the front cover), so it may well be that your subscription is still active. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I think it's an indication of how weak they're getting that no one's really talking about them the next day anymore. The VW ones were great, but IMHO they weakened the impact of the ads during the game by releasing them last week to go viral on YouTube. So when I saw them during the game it was "Oh yeah, been there done that." My personal favorite (though I definitely did not see all of them) was the Budweiser nod to Almost Famous, just because that's one of my favorite scenes in one of my favorite movies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EZx5kFPB60 "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Not being able to arch and not being able to comfortably move your arms & legs are probably not a good thing. As for the tightness of the booties - booties should fit tight, but it's possible they're too tight. Your profile says you jump at the Farm - I'd recommend getting in to Chuting Star with the jumpsuit and your rig and your winter level of clothing (e.g., the most you would wear) and having Mike take a look at it and give you some thoughts on whether/where it might make sense to take it out. Mike's done a lot of RW and has sold a lot of suits, so having someone who is experienced with what to look for will be your best bet at this point, rather than having us try to diagnose it over the internet. Tony Suits will definitely take care of you, but make sure you know what to ask for so you can minimize the number of trips the jumpsuit has to make back and forth to Florida to get it right. Getting a suit right the first time can be a challenge, so it may just be that your suit needs a bit of tweaking to be perfect. I had my current jumpsuit measured by the owner of the jumpsuit manufacturer and I still said "Did you make this for someone 2 inches shorter than me with a tiny neck?" when I first tried it on. A few mods and it was a good fit. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I don't necessarily see people actively defending Skyride. I see it more that the debate has devolved such that anyone who is not a strident and emotional detractor of Skyride is now viewed as a supporter/defender ("If you don't toe the party line, you're against us"). I've seen that rhetorical style in other circumstances and I'm not fan wherever it appears. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Have you seen Kiss Kiss Bang Bang? One of the most underrated movies of the past decade (IMHO). Falls more into the crime thriller/dark comedy genre, but it's a fun rental. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke