NWFlyer

I really like the "New Ads" feature, but it would be great if the search results that come up when you run that search would sort in reverse chronological order (similar to what's done in each classified category's listing), rather than in alphabetical order. "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

Just got home from Ken's memorial service; anyone who knows me knows that I'm not a believer, but Ken was, and it the service was a tribute to a man who lived his values out every day - believers or not, we can all learn something from a guy like Ken. The memorial brought together a nice mix of his friends from various churches he'd been an active member of, and other parts of his life (including skydivers, of course). The service and the people who remembered Ken was a nice reminder of how Ken didn't wear his faith on his sleeve, but instead, modeled it in his life and in his interactions with others. Blue ones, Ken. I'll miss your smile. "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

Is it this time? "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 better not be because I'm 38, too. I just didn't start jumping till I was almost 34. "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

Apparently you missed this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0_tfoTTGOQ "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

Guess I shoulda held onto my application for a few more weeks. USPA very efficiently got my card to me today ... D-29960. "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

Just got this message, sent to all employees of my company. Company identifying details removed. It says something that they actually needed to send this out ... (Ironically I'm posting this from work). "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

Whether it's safe to downsize depends on a lot of factors, most notably being your exit weight; at any rate, that question is better asked of your instructors at your dropzone, not random folks on the internet. I just bought a Pulse - I'm a big fan after demoing it. I wouldn't have made the choice to buy it without a demo, and fortunately, PD has a very easy demo program - you can get one sent to you, or try to catch the PD tour reps at a boogie. Larger gear stores often have a variety of canopies available, too. I also demoed the Sabre2 at a boogie and it didn't wow me, though obviously it's a very popular canopy and lots of people really like it. Opinions are like assholes, though - everyone's got one and the only one that really matters is yours since you're the one buying it (can you tell I'm strongly encouraging you to demo both canopies, and maybe others in that performance category like the Safire2, Pilot, Fusion). One thing you might want to consider - if this is a canopy you're only going to use for a couple of seasons - you will most likely only be able to find a Pulse new; while Sabre 2s are much more readily available on the used market since they've been on the market much longer. http://www.performancedesigns.com/demo_sport.asp "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, what she said. I have never understood public mourning for celebrities of any stripe. Sure, if someone whose work I admire dies, I'll say "oh, that's sad, he/she won't be producing any more movies/books/music." But the "sadness" I feel will be nothing even close to grief and my reaction will not be mourning. I reserve that for people who are actually part of my life and with whom I actually interact (e.g., friends and family). "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

Kudos to your dropzone for its approach and to you for practicing them. Muscle memory comes in handy when you really need 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

Those are awesome. The DZ nearest to Frankfort, Ill. should bring in a toilet from Drop Zone whether they need it or not. "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

On a lighter pre-weekend note, when many of us may be using porta-potties at July 4th celebrations (or dropzones!) I thought I'd see what some of the most clever names for porta-potty companies are that you've seen. In Seattle, the big player in the porta-potty space was called Honey Bucket. Walking into work today I passed a construction job where the services were provided by Ker-Plunk Sanitary What have you seen? It's good to see these guys have sense of humor about their "dirty job." "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

And people have adapted their life such that even when the opportunity is there, they don't take it. I live in one of the most pedestrian-friendly areas of Oakland; I live in a safe neighborhood (yes, they exist in Oakland) and walk to my job downtown, about a mile away. There are sidewalks, crosswalks, crosswalk signals, etc., the entire way there, and always lots of people out and about walking. The weather is typically favorable for walking. I was chatting with a coworker of mine and discovered that she lives maybe 1/2 mile from me (farther away from the office). I asked her how she gets to work and she told me she drives. "I should probably walk or take a bike..." she said. Or take a bus ...but she drives, and pays at least $10/day, probably more, to park downtown and saves maybe 20 minutes of time. And complains about not having time to exercise. Sigh. "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 still have weight to lose, but based on what my doctor back in Seattle told me (and she works with lots of high-level athletes) based on my height, frame, body fat percentage, etc., I won't ever fit "on the charts," even though I'll be at a healthy weight. But my point was more that you can't look at someone who is overweight at any level and have a clue where they are in their own weight management journey. I would never deny that we have a growing (pun intended) issue with weight, but it's a much more complex issue than "if you're fat you're a lazy fuck." "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 work out six days a week (three of them with a trainer), every week, and skydive on the weekends. I walk to work every day (about a mile each way). I eat primarily whole foods, lean meats, whole grains, lots of fruit and vegetables, in moderate portions. Socioeconomically I'm upper middle class, and I'm white. According to the BMI charts, I'm obese. Still want to call me a lazy fuck and stereotype me? Good luck with 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

It's likely they will try to get you to accept a settlement early. Make sure that you're 100% done with all your medical care (treatment, rehab, etc.) and cleared from a doctor before you even consider accepting an insurance settlement. Document all your phone calls (name, time of call, what you talked about) so you have a record. Document the work that you normally do for your side job - ask your employer to write a letter or something that says "this is what he normally does for me, at this rate of pay, for these number of hours on average." Edit to add that what AggieDave said may make sense. You may want to at least consult with a personal injury attorney - ask around for recommendations. I was hit by a car a few years back and worked with an attorney to navigate the insurance settlement. I wasn't looking for (nor did we seek or get) any kind of ridiculous amount of money, just a fair amount to cover my bills (which were around $100K), lost income, pain & suffering, etc. Getting a lawyer involved does not have to mean a lawsuit - in fact, it's in their interest as well as yours to push for a fair and reasonably quick settlement. "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

In case you're having trouble identifying Canadians to celebrate with, here's a helpful guide: http://www.howtospotacanadian.ca/ "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

Behold the cuteness... http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2009/06/otter-twins-in-auckland-unbearably-cute.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

You want pictures of DZ.commers as babies or pictures of the babies of DZ.commers? Because if it's the former, check here: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1700656 "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

Read the original post ... that's the question. If it's being issued it should be right about now, or soon. Or are you asking about D-20000, the one that Bush got as an honorary license? I think that his honorary D was the only D-20000 issued. "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

That photo was specially requested, as you know. Of course they're going to maximize it (not that I've seen it yet!). I had a good subject and a good topic. I hope that it will bring some wonderful attention towards Leap for Lupus and the Foundation! "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

As most of us know, D-20000 went to George Bush, as an honorary D license. I'm wondering if USPA has anything special planned for D-30000 or if it'll just end up going to the next person in line? I'm especially curious since I just faxed my D application into USPA this morning. The last D number listed in the July issue is (I think... my issue's not sitting in front of me) D-29857. Given the lag in issuing licenses to printing them in the magazine, and assuming an average of about 40-50 new Ds per month, they should be really damn close to D-30000 right about now. So ... should it be reserved for some VIP (maybe that hot CNN anchor that everyone seems to love who jumped with 41 this most recent time) or should it go to a regular USPA member? "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

And regularly. I took Lisa & Keith's course a few weeks ago - there were 8 attendees and we had a guy fresh off AFF (he did his first hop & pop as part of the course!) up to 900+ jumps. I had just under 500 at the time and most of the attendees were in the 100-200 jump range. I think we all got something out of it. Not that Ian's ego needs any more stroking, but it was his post upthread about continuing to get canopy instruction (even the basic refreshers) regularly that inspired me to attend this one. It had been over 3 years and 300 jumps since my last one and it was great to get re-engage the brain on canopy flight and do some jumps focusing on nothing else. I still struggle with landings and it was good to get video and debrief and see that my flare technique is actually spot-on; I just need to be more confident in my ability to land on my feet. Also, I'm going for my coach rating in a couple weeks and figured the class would be a good reminder of good ways to teach canopy control (and it was). That'll help me give feedback to students on more than just freefall skills. "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 be curious to know what grounds you or others think USPA might have for revoking his membership (unfortunately, I don't think "acting like a petty asshole" is enough of a reason)? Why not let the dropzones where he might choose to jump make their own decisions? They are all private business and, as such, can refuse to do business with anyone for pretty much any reason. "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 recall one of the things discussed by the organizer during the dirt dive was to have the outside folks lean out to make room for the two on the inside who were launching with the chunk - allowing them to get shoulders out and allow for a clean exit. Quite honestly, I don't think the impact on the airflow was considered at all. "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