NWFlyer

Lots of us. You picked the wrong weekend, though, since I'll be at Elsinore. "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, this particular claim doesn't really justify the cost of the overall policy (though it definitely justified the extremely low marginal cost of the rider). But if I ever need to file a claim for skydiving equipment, or something more heinous like a total loss due to some sort of natural disaster, it'll be worth every penny. In fact, the first time I was made aware of the need for renter's insurance was in college when a fire damaged the apartment building of some friends. I don't think any of them had insurance and they had to scramble to replace what they did have on a student budget. "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

Yep, I took photos of all my gear (including high-res closeups of the serial numbers, a photo of the packing data card) and uploaded them to a secure photo site. That way if anything happens to my laptop (oh, wait, it just did!) or at a remote location like a boogie, they're still available to me. That's a reminder that I need to take a photo of my new canopy and my full-face helmet, which I've acquired since the last photo shoot. "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

Do we count peanut butter as a condiment? If so, it'd have to be peanut butter. In fact, I was thinking just this morning that if I had to pick one, and only one food to eat for the rest of my life, peanut butter would be pretty high on the list of contenders. "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 a cube farmer. "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

SFW. Can't stop giggling. "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 the point was not to help find the dbag, but to find the main canopy that is attached to it (generally worth well more than $50). Re: black dbags, Sharpie pens come in silver (I've used them to write my contact info on the back of my alti since almost everyone's looks alike and they seem to fall out of gearbags and/or get misplaced fairly commonly). Any riggers have a thought on whether that would degrade the dbag fabric? (Though I do like the idea of sewing it on so that it can be removed by a future owner and/or changed if your contact info changes). "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 sure if it's an option on all insurance policies, but they offered it to me when I signed up - basically you can specifically declare any high-value items. I didn't remember about the no deductible thing till I filed the claim today, so that was really good news to hear (my deductible's only $250 but still that would have been a big hit on a $600 claim). "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've rented in Virginia, North Carolina, Washington, and California and have never been required to have insurance. "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

Me too. Fortunately the jackass who gained entry to my apartment (no signs of a break-in, so I suspect it was a disgruntled ex-employee of the building who still has keys) was only interested in the laptop and didn't seem to look any farther to discover things like my gear (which was inside my gear bag). (And yes, locks were changed within a few hours thanks to my very wonderful and handy SO.) "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

Public service announcement - renter's insurance is da bomb and usually fairly cheap. (I didn't include homeowners in this poll since having insurance is usually not an option for mortgage-holders). I just filed my first ever claim on renter's insurance for a stolen laptop. I had the laptop on a separate rider, so I didn't even have to pay the deductible. I pay an extra $6/year for that rider and it just saved me $600 in replacement cost for the laptop (and I can probably get that $6/year down because I had a pretty high value declared for the laptop even though prices have come down dramatically). "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

Sounds like a good choice for a flotation device, then. I was obviously envisioning something totally different. "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 thought that through? I'm not a very experienced scuba diver but I'm envisioning a fairly bulky vest-style BC ... how wearable / usable is that going to be under your rig? Is it some other style that I'm not familiar with? Most people use this or something similar for flotation gear in skydiving as it "plays nice" with our gear. "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 suggest lots of smaller dives - 2, 3, 4 way. It's a lot harder to just "hang out in the base" on smaller jumps - you're going to need to fly. Those are small enough groups that they're safe to help you build skills and awareness before moving on to larger groups, and you can start to really build up your flyin. This thread (among others) has some good ideas for drill dives: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2451763 "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 good news for Dove is that you're not the target market for this ad anyway, so they probably aren't that concerned with your reaction to it. I am the target, and this creates a favorable impression to me of Dove as a company and I'd be more likely to consider their products (besides ones I already buy) based on this ad. From that perspective, the commercial works well.

I agree with Don - I *do* find the song annoying. As for Don's view of the women in the ad I'll take missing the point for $800, Alex. "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 didn't know we worked at the same place. "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

Should be, because the true cost of food is pretty well hidden. The linked article is but one account of how our government talks out of both sides of its mouth with respect to food/nutrition. "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 usually watch commercials and haven't seen that one - anyone want to find a YouTube clip so that we can judge the ugliness of these women for ourselves? God knows I love to judge those who are less perfect than me. "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

Peanut butter - in the fridge (for three reasons - 1 - Mom always did it so I'm used to it cold 2 - I buy natural and I don't like having to reintegrate the oil slick on top every time I want to use it and 3 - the container sez so.) I'll take it out before I use it to soften it up, though. Ketchup (and similar stuff like BBQ sauce or hot sauce) - in the fridge once they've been opened b/c I don't use it often enough and it'll last longer in the fridge Syrup - in the cabinet Bread - not in the fridge - that just dries it out! Either on the counter if it's going to get used quickly, or in the freezer if it's not. Butter - in the fridge till I need it since I probably don't go through it fast enough to keep it on the counter. Everything else is in there because it needs to be (dairy, meat) or because I prefer it cold (beverages) or because I'd like it to last longer (most fruits, as long as they're already ripened, and most veggies). "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

Sounds like the prepared foods are adding a chunk to your cost. I honestly am not sure how much I spend on average, but I would have to guess it's somewhere in the neighborhood of $50-80 week for one person (though my s.o. is usually over for a few meals a week). I very rarely buy prepared foods, and buy very little processed/convenience food. I make my own - in fact right now I have two crock pots going making soup/stew that'll get packaged up in my freezer to make probably 15 meals (mostly lunches or paired with salads for dinner). As for fruits and veggies, I'm trying really hard to buy mostly local and in-season (though my weakness for bananas makes it so that I haven't gone 100% in that direction). I sometimes stop at Whole Foods (it's on my walk home from work) but buy very carefully there as I find the quality high but the prices disproportionately high. I shop a lot at Trader Joe's and Costco, and occasionally at great local stores like Berkeley Bowl. I have a weekly farmer's market and a great local produce store within walking distance, both of which have great quality stuff at a lower price than Whole Foods. I also just signed up for a CSA box - regular delivery of locally-grown veggies. Not that I can't get that stuff easily around town, I'm hoping it'll encourage me to try lots of different stuff, and I can directly support a local grower. Here's the place I'm ordering from - you may be able to find a local one here. The prices are usually quite good and it could save you time (since that seems to be a concern). Edited to add one more thing: I've found that the local ethnic food stores often have better prices on (generally) local produce and a more interesting and exotic variety (of both produce and other foods!). "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 have never heard of it, until now, and that annoys me. How were you all first introduced? Do you have Showtime and caught it, or is there something awesome I am missing? Yes. It's called NPR. (Okay, technically This American Life is a PRI production but it's played on NPR stations). "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

OK so now you have some numbers to plug into the calculator I linked to above. "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

Oh quitcherbitchin! I found a transcript, though I'm also listening to the video. He can be tough to understand at times but hearing him make his point, in his own voice, is worth it. http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2009/10/what-do-you-think-i-fought-for-at-omaha-beach-a-veteran-speaks-out-for-marriage-equality.html "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

What's the closest airport to Eloy? And as long as it doesn't go below 50...ish....I think I can handle it. It's about midway between Phoenix and Tucson so either will do. It might get below 50ish at night though but the days are fairly warm (70+ usually). Check into ZHills, too. There are trailers on the DZ that can be rented. You can fly into Tampa (closer) or Orlando (not that much farther and sometimes has cheaper flights). It kills me that ZHills is so far away - I'd love to be able to visit more easily! "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