NWFlyer

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/06/02/parks.waive.fees/index.html?iref=mpstoryview Please, no commentary about whether this is a good decision for the federal government to be making. Take that to SC. Putting it out there in case people want to step away from the dropzone for a weekend or three.

Nah, unplug... this sounds like the perfect trip to do 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

I wasn't, but this just came through in my Google alerts (I assume it was an E3 announcement). http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3174521 Wii skydiving! "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, okay. Makes sense. This sounds like a wonderful adventure. Are you going to be able to share photos/stories on the way or do we have to wait 17 days for the news? "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

BOOGIE RULES: 1. Just remember... NOTHING Happened!! Always Maintain Plausible Deniability. 2. What happens in the trailer/tent/where ever, stays there. 3. Carry duck tape or a gag of some sort if you have a tendency to get loud. That way you don't wake up the people in the trailer next to you. 4. Everyone should carry duct tape (Even the not so loud ones). It has many uses. (like taping porta potties shut when people are in them) 5. Never pass out in a public area... 6. If you’re planning on doing some stupid shit...or something which you think is cool or hilarious...make sure there are no cameras around...cause it will probably end in disaster and pictures will be posted on DZ.com 7. If your shoes are off, you went to sleep. If the shoes are still on, you passed out. (Take your damned shoes off, lest you end up with a cock on your cheek and balls on your forehead.) 8. Set up your tent before you get drunk. 9. If it ain’t on video, it didn't happen. 10. Wrap it up, you don't know who was there 10 minutes before you. 11. Sleep with your rig as your pillow. 12. Drink a lot and have fun. Don't drink? Have fun anyway. 13. Don't try to kill me...in the air. Ground shenanigans are my own fault. Especially if I am dumb enough to be on or around the golf cart. (Stay far, far away from the golf carts.) 14. Different DZ/area-code/zip-code rules are in play, even if you aren't. 15. Do not get pregnant. 16. Buy your own fucking beer. 17. If you scream/moan/fuck to loudly, do not be offended if you draw a crowd. Likewise, if you hear someone screaming/moaning/fucking too loudly, go investigate! And bring a camera! 18. What happens at a boogie, stays at a boogie....except herpes....that shit is forever. 19. Don't blame other people for the stupid shit you do and can't remember. You have to look at yourself in the mirror the next day. 20. Have fun and Be Safe! 21. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!! Bring lots of water. And beer! 22. Do not be a fool to the skygods! Respect your other skychika's. You'll need them after the skygods chew you up and spit you out. 23. When you court attention, you don't get to control what kind of attention you get. It may not be the kind you want. 24.If you decide to post about what / who you did at the boogie on dropzone.com or Facebook or somewhere else online, whether it's directly or loudly hinting, you don't get to then turn around and get pissed off that people are up in your business. 25. Corollary to 25 - with digital photography and social networking/forums, anything you do can (and probably will) end up online. If you don't want it talked about online, discretion is your friend. "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 about her rucksack? Make the bitch carry some of her own 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 Lodi for you. (but that's another thread altogether). "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

Good one. I'd add "When you court attention, you don't get to control what kind of attention you get. It may not be the kind you want." "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

Boogies tend to be the same process as a normal weekend, though there's sometimes a boogie registration process on top of the other steps. The DZ might have more/different folks involved in getting people going since the volume of people coming in might slam the normal manifest staff. A couple DZs that I go to use their annual boogie as the opportunity to get everyone, including the local jumpers, recurrent on their waivers. So even if you're a "regular" you might need to re-waiver at the boogie. "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 find the best way to quell rumors is to ignore them. Anything else just fans the flames. "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 side?" "The OTHER side." "WHAT other side?" "The side opposite THIS side!....You know, the OTHER side! Like 180 degrees from here" There's two other people on dz.com who will get 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

I suspect USPA's definition assumes a malfunction that needed to be cutaway. I know that's how I interpret it when I fill out the renewal application. "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 suspect that when men dump women because they're "too independent" it's similar to women dumping men because they're "too nice." The person in question is (or is perceived to be) something that is not desired because it's not a desirable trait or the person doing the rejecting is too insecure to come out and say what they really want. "You're too independent/you intimidate me." = "You're too pushy." or "You make more money than me." or "You are loud/obnoxious." or "You have a better job/more education than me." or "I have very specific ideas of what a woman should be [that I might have learned from Cosmo] and you don't fit into them and it confuses me." "You're too nice." = "You're a fucking doormat." or "You have no opinions of your own." or "You want to be my father and I don't need to be babied." or "I mistake drama for love." or "I really do want someone to be an asshole to me because I don't believe I deserve otherwise." "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

So what's the story? That doesn't give me enough details. "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 for the why ... the rationale is that it doesn't wear as easily as spandex. I've put close to 500 jumps on my Wings with Cordura (and a elastic "mouth" as Ficus describes) and it's exactly the same as it was on the day I obtained it (as a used rig with about 10 jumps on it). Because my main is a snug fit in this container, I do have to be cognizant of how the PC is folded to go in the pouch, as a "short, fat" fold can make for a more difficult pull. But usually a couple good bumps with my fist will flatten it out to a comfortable pull. Since I bought the rig used, I didn't make the choice for the Cordura pouch, but it works for me well enough that I haven't seen need to replace it with spandex. "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

mmmkay ... here's my advice to npgraphicdesigner. Do not use Cosmo for research on what women want. Unless of course you want to date the type of woman who takes Cosmo seriously. "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

Bump ... get those subscriptions in so you can get the first issue in July. http://blueskiesmag.com/subscribe/ "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

Any dropzone that is open more than just weekends (e.g., five or seven days a week, which seems to be the more common options) can probably get you through training in a week if the weather cooperates. Some DZs have packaged up their program and market it as such, while others sell everything "a la carte." They'll both get you to the same place - an A license. "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 see they've been consulting this expert in diplomacy. "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

Assuming I was alive, I might feel pissed about that, too, it's a natural emotion. But (at least at Lodi) how they configure their jump run was a known quantity and I chose to get on the plane anyway. (Hypothetically, since I wasn't on *this* plane, but I have done a few jumps there, knowing that information). But as we've addressed in this and other threads, this is an important reminder to jumpers to do their best to learn about the aircraft operations of dropzones and make their choices with full information, not just assumptions. "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

Sorry Remi, but I had to do it again. "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

Of course I can't control the actions of my family from beyond the grave, but I can certainly make my wishes known, clearly and unequivocally, as I have. I'm fortunate in that the people who would most likely be settling my affairs (my parents) are also the people who instilled in me the values of personal responsibility. "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 indeed had that conversation with the people who would be settling my affairs, and have written a "to be opened upon my death" letter that they have in their safe deposit box that confirms my wishes. "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

Even if one concedes both of those things (though I'd say it was most likely only the latter), it doesn't absolve him of personal responsibility. And yet, that's what we have here - he's blaming everyone but himself. I realize you have only 50-some jumps, but if you can't handle the fact that every time you get on an airplane with the intent of jumping out of it you have to take responsibility for everything you do, perhaps this isn't the sport for you. Christian Barton apparently couldn't handle that fact, that's why he's suing Bill Dause and others. Had I been on that plane with him, I would have been angry at him for endangering not only his life, but mine, and the rest of the folks on that plane. However, if he took out the tail and the plane became uncontrollable and crashed, I wouldn't be suing him, or Bill, or anyone. I chose to get on the plane with the full knowledge that someone else's fuckup might injure or kill me, even if I do everything right. Of course we're going to do all we can to prevent that from happening - and apparently lots of people tried to get Barton to fix his exits so that he didn't put the whole plane in danger. But still, fuckups happen for a variety fo reasons. You don't like that - don't get on the plane in the first 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

I voted 3-5 hours, but nearly all of that is for work. I work with a team that's scattered around the country, so communicating by phone, email, and instant messenger is our SOP. For work calls I use my desk phone or work BlackBerry, and since the bill doesn't come to me I've no idea how many minutes I might use a month. My personal phone plan has 900 minutes a month and I don't come anywhere close to using it (especially when you consider that most of my calls are to my "5 faves" and/or off-peak calls). "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