NWFlyer

ROFLMAO...Really? Did you not watch him for 8 years while Bush was President? Nice "try" at a spin , but a total failure... Maybe not a good spin, but damn fine sarcasm. At least for those of us who got 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

I used to work for a sleep medicine company. The company ran sleep medicine clinics and diagnostic centers, and sold the equpment to treat sleep disorders. So I learned a bit, but am not a medical professional. I'd say to see your doctor and see if you can get referred to a sleep specialist and/or to a sleep diagnostic center for a test. Tell your doc all that's been happening and in particular if it's affecting the rest of your life (fatigue, brain fog, etc.). Definitely worth getting checked out. "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

It should be done before you get on the airplane! I never plan my landings before I get on the plane... Chances are it will just result in 'a change of plans'. The wind at our dz tends to change direction with nearly every jump. You should be fully capable of effectively planning each landing after you are under canopy. I can see where students would want to plan before getting on the plane, or someone jumping at a new dz... they just need to be prepared to CHANGE those plans. The part I've bolded is in direct contrast to what's been taught in the canopy courses I've taken (Scott Miller's class back when Scott was still teaching, and a local class based on the Flight-1 curriculum). Having a plan in place before you get on the plane allows you to adjust your pattern as necessary rather than planning it from scratch. For a DZ where you jump regularly, that's probably already in your head based on knowledge of the regular situations, but there are always variables to consider each day at the DZ, and load-by-load. "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.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=697267 Hope you have madder mad skillz. "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

He's iffy - there's been complaints about him before. My transaction with him went okay but it took a lot of nagging ... others haven't fared so well. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3252291 "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

Very nice, Bruno. "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.youtube.com/watch?v=qkKYNwYBYrs SFW unless your employer's really prudish. "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 could combine a visit to Lodi with a visit to Skydance (about an hour away) - you'll be there during the American Boogie (which runs June 24-27). Plenty of load capacity and jumping then! http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3849584 "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.skydanceskydiving.net/americanboogie/ More details and registration info available. "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

Depends on how many beers, I suppose. "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

Ah, just suck it up and wait at the DMV instead of waiting for your appointment day. You know you want to! And once you've got her street legal, maybe you can ride 'er down to Lucky Baldwin's ... I could use another coupla beers there and I'm down in this area most weeks. "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

Speaking from personal experience, that's going to limit your options. There may be more out there, but I've found that the Bonehead Mamba, Paractec FreeZR2 and the Cookie Gas are the ones that best fit the members of the Freakishly-Large Head Club. I haven't tried the Gas personally, but others in the FLHC swear by its fit. The Bonehead Havok is another consideration - its design is very different, but I've heard from people that it can accommodate atypical head shapes because of that design. I had a Mamba (XXL) and sold it - I personally didn't like the way it fit (felt too close to the face) and I don't like the visor mechanism. Nothing against the helmet - others love it. I bought the FreeZR2 (XL) and love it - I like the visor mechanism and the field of vision feels very wide. FreeZR2 has pockets on both sides - I have audibles in each. I think the Mamba does as well, don't know about others. The FreeZR2 when I bought it was shipping with pretty short pegs which could cause the visor to flip up. Thanks to a suggestion by billvon on here, I hacked it with a couple of washers to make the pegs stick out farther. I believe I heard that FreeZR is using longer pegs standard now, but I'm not positive about that. "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

Yeah, Five Guys is definitely not an everyday thing but as fast food burgers go, I'll take 'em over most others - like In N Out they are about the only place that uses real meat and potatoes. It may be high-fat and high-calorie, but at least it's real food. "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

No. I'm with you though, eating out can be a real challenge. Even stuff that seems like it should have a reasonable number of calories often doesn't. I'm boggled that some restaurants can turn a side salad into a 500-calorie thing. Nutrition info on web sites can be tricky - I think it's PF Changs that has its info ... but most every entree on their menu is 2-4 servings. So you'll look at the "per serving" and it might seem reasonable, but when you do the math - eek! And most of what chain restaurants serve is explicitly designed to get you to eat more (read David Kessler's book for more on that... I'm all for reasonable indulgence when eating out, but it's tough when (like me) you have to do a lot of it because of work travel and you don't want to make every meal an indulgence. I'm very fortunate to have a great office cafeteria for breakfast and lunch, where I can choose from a lot of healthy options (and portion size options, too) but dinner's more of a challenge for sure. "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 tend to mimic unconsciously; I have to watch out lest people think I'm mocking them. I grew up in the DC suburbs (which features what I like to call the mid-Atlantic non-accent), and my parents by that point had lost whatever regional accents they had. But my folks used to laugh when I'd get on the phone with my grandparents in rural Tennessee and eastern Connecticut, because by the end of the conversation I'd have picked up the accent on the other end of the line... I can do southern if it suits me, but most of the time my accent's pretty darn neutral. When I lived in Seattle, I got "I don't know where you're from but you're not from around here." Probably because I didn't refer to carbonated beverages as "pop." "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

Can't possibly be the Chuck Blue we know ... this one almost sounds respectable! "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

For everyone who's raving about the movie ... go read the book. It's even better. I would like to be able to write half as well as Michael Lewis when I grow up. He's one of those writers where when I'm reading his work, I will literally stop and re-read something just because I'm so blown away by how he crafts words into art. "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

Sure, but 30 minutes in a 182 in the summer and in central Texas and you have students getting sick. Even the instructors dress down in the summer. When I was at their boogie last year, I noticed that Skydive Pepperell put all the students in short-sleeve coveralls (not sure if they were Dickies brand, but something like this: http://www.workinggear.com/gc/catalog/Dickies-Dark-Navy-Short-Sleeve-Coveralls-3399DN-cat941.html). I realize on average MA is not as hot as TX, but they do get some heat/humidity in the summer. I thought it was a good solution - lighter weight and cheaper than most jumpsuits, but provided protection for the students. At my DZ, all students, tandem and otherwise, are in jumpsuits year round. "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

Try using Google maps and search for directions using the "public transit" drop-down option ... I think you can do BART (subway) to Richmond then switch to an Amtrak train which'll get you into Davis - may be able to cab it or get someone from the DZ to pick you up at that point. "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 never ever give out past salary information. I tell them that's confidential information. You want to maintain the upper hand in negotiations for as long as possible. I also put off the salary requirements discussion as long as possible, and I throw it back in their court. I am polite, but firm "At this point, I want to talk about the role and determine if it's a good fit for both of us - I think it would be premature to discuss salary." If they insist on talking about it earlier because they're concerned that, based on my experience, I make more than they can afford to pay, I'll say "What is the budgeted range for this position?" Usually they'll answer, and that'll give me an idea if we're close or very far off. If it's close enough, I figure if I can make my case that I'm the right person, we can move. If it's pretty far off, chances are also high that the level of work is also pretty far off from my experience, and it's probably better to move on. However, I've kept talking to some companies when there's a definite mutual interest but the position in question isn't the right one. When I was last actively job searching 2 years ago, I had a company considering creating a team lead position where I'd be managing people who were in the job for which I'd originally been considered (which was a more junior-level job). Didn't ultimately happen, but if you get focused on the job that's open, you may miss an opportunity to fill a need they didn't know they had. I've taken jobs at lower salaries/lower skill levels than I wanted before, but it was with an open acknowledgment of that and a commitment on both sides that if I showed, as I thought I could, that I could perform at a higher level, that I would be moved into that level. The last time I did that the hiring manager would have had to jump through hoops to get the position/level changed, and it would have taken a few months. She was grateful that I was willing to take it at the level it was originally set - and sure enough, I performed well enough to be promoted within 6 months. Win-win for both of us. "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 so much when I'm pissed off, but I have used this one a bunch of times at work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAeqVGP-GPM#t=00m33s "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

It's legit - many of the DZs that use it as a phone number also don't accept Skyride certificates (some do). Depending on the state you're calling from it'll route you to the closest dropzone in that state that uses that number (I believe it's automated routing). For example, my home DZ use 1800Skydive as its marketing number it and doesn't take Skyride. Why the company would have a rigger is beyond me, but I'm not sure who owns the overall infrastructure for 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

I would like to know how both of them did not just bust out laughing while taping that. I'm sure they did - there are probably some good outtakes. My trainer LOVED the video and when I came in this morning, the boot camp class was ending as my session was starting ... he showed it to the whole class. He definitely embraces his lack of political correctness. "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 emailed that to my trainer with the subject line "I've found a better workout." "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 would call it typical American fare. It is NOT a high-class place. Annie is a Brit so go and discover. JerryBaumchen Good to know :) I've been looking for more of the local places to eat everytime I'm there [beyond Tacos Elsinore and Gina's]. Annie's is great. Do breakfast there and hit Kokoro next door for sushi dinner. It kicks ass. If you're really feeling brave, ask for the Sudsy Roll. "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