NWFlyer

My current gym has the nastiest showers ever, and I won't even go anywhere near the sauna/steam room. Fortunately, if I do work out there in the mornings, it's across the street from my office, which also has showers. I did the math - I figure about 2-3 people use the showers at the office per day and they get cleaned daily. Probably 200 people use the showers at the gym per day ... and they also get cleaned daily. But now that I'm doing personal training (at a private gym) I may just let the regular gym membership go ... it's usually too crowded and annoying anyway. "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.wikihow.com/Play-Screaming-Ninjas This makes it sound kinda boring. But much of the fun comes from each person picking their own "Ninja sound" and making it at the top of their lungs every time they send or receive the ninja message. This one's actually good for weather holds because drunk people can't focus on it enough to make it fun. I also realized that this stupid explanation doesn't really explain how you win the game. Screaming Ninja quickly establishes a rhythm, and if someone messes up and does something out of the rhythm, they're out. So, if you forget to "receive" the ninja signal when someone points at you, or you forget to chop when the person next to you gets ninjaed, you're out. It gets particularly nuts when it's down to 4-5 people. "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 found this, which indicates that employers who are no longer in business are not required to file: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/When_is_the_employer_W2_deadline "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 I'd consider the "getting fired" and "quitting because someone pissed me off" parts of your rant a point of pride. 50 jobs in 39 years (and I'm assuming that only 20ish of those years have been working years) is quite a few indeed. If you're working primarily as a short- to mid-term contractor, that's one thing, but if you've been through 39 employers as regular staff ... if I were looking at your resume to hire you it might make me say "hmm, how long could he possibly last here? Do I really want to invest in hiring this guy?" I agree that the flexibility to handle what life throws at you is a good trait, but not everyone is like that, and if you've been at a company for a long stretch of time it's difficult to face re-entering a job market that may be drastically different from the last time you were in it. Imagine not having looked for a job in 20 years. Last time you looked for a job, resumes were on paper, and internet job boards didn't exist. Most people haven't a clue how to look for a job, network, or market themselves, which adds an extra layer of stress to an already stressful situation. With 50 jobs in your career, you probably haven't been anywhere long enough to form any bonds with the people you work with - no wonder you have a "whatever" attitude about layoffs. For people who have been at a company for a long stretch of time, a big portion of their personal identity can be wrapped up in that job and that employer. They have built relationships and it sucks to have those severed by a layoff. While killing your family because of the stress is a rather extreme reaction and probably indicates some underlying mental health issues, your judgment of people who react differently to the stress of unemployment is a bit harsh. As for me, not counting part-time gigs in high school and college, I've worked for 8 different companies in a 15-year professional career. Two of those were short-term gigs that weren't a good fit, but all the others I've worked for at least a year. I've been through two layoffs, and they suck. One was from a company that wasn't a good fit to begin with, so it wasn't that heartbreaking, but still stressful to find the next gig in a recession (2001). The other was from a job that I really liked, and while I agreed that eliminating my position was the right decision for the business, it still sucked. "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

Oops, I realized I posted the same group photo twice. This one gives a better view of Big Red in all its glory. I don't know if anyone has photos of the jump itself. "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 it was a fun jump, even if Mel did blow you off. Hope someone got you with pie after we left. "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

This competition has a lot more than BFRs, but yeah, you'll only get in 5 jumps as part of the meet, and maybe squeeze in one at the end of the day. So bust 'em out so we can watch you get whipped (cream) on Sunday. "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

Show up early tomorrow morning and hop on a 10-way team. Oh, wait, you're a freeflyer. Nevermind - they don't know how to dock on their bellies. Well, I guess that's okay for me as long as you're not on my team. "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

Interesting article. I tend to test strong "E" but I do have some "I" tendencies that I see from time to time. I used to work for a guy who, on the surface, might seem like a classic Extrovert, but someone told me that he was an Introvert and it kind of surprised me. But then I traveled with him once and I saw his "I" side come out - after a full day of work and early evening travel, we all rode over to the hotel together and it was obvious that he couldn't wait to get to his hotel room and recharge - alone. I was still feeling fine and social, but he showed that classic Introvert weariness with being around people that long. Thought about it more, and he definitely was drawn towards the deeper, more substantive work conversations than the higher-level, more fluffy ones. Knowing that helped me to know how to work with him - as he was an exec, I didn't want to waste his time anyway, but with him you had to especially dive right into the meat of the conversation and the work rather than wasting any time on the light stuff. "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

How do you define this? How do you know which are going to be your "more conservative" flights when you decide which canopy to jump? "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

Get thee to Lodi (aka The Parachute Center). $13/jump if purchased in blocks. "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

Excellent - assuming you're taking it to Elsinore I can try it out this weekend.

Go to www.flyertalk.com. It's the dorkzone.com for frequent travelers. "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 with ya on that - it seems that the Marriott/Sheraton/Westin/Hilton level places feel like they can get away with the nickel and diming because much of their clientele is business travelers and can expense stuff. I have a theory that the internet access charges are because they're still trying to pay off all the money they spent to put in high-speed infrastructure back in the days before wireless ... the lower-range hotels/motels just threw in a couple wireless routers and can give it away free. "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

A drunk virgin. "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 think the $5/$10 annual increase in USPA dues is what's going to cause a loss of membership - its the overall cost of skydiving that's going to cause people to quit, either temporarily or permanently. To suggest that USPA not raise dues because it will cause people to quit the sport is a little dramatic. "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

Yup, I've been there a couple of times. Jumps are $19 normally, but $15 before noon on weekends and all day Friday. They currently have CSC's Super Otter for the winter and just moved into a temporary facility right next to the landing area while they build out the permanent hangar. Once everything's built out this is going to be a killer DZ (and it's already a blast!). I just wish it were closer to my house. Definitely check it 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

Dude, you've got to have a pretty big mouth to fit a hangar in there! "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's a shame - I subscribed for a year and enjoyed it so much that I re-upped for three years. Although the coverage could sometimes border on gossipy, it was nice to have an alternative viewpoint to Parachutist. It will be missed. "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 sucks. Have you talked to someone who is a bit more into sports medicine who maybe could prescribe some physical therapy? Telling you to do nothing for a year seems wrong. "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 am sure you will have fun... I guess it wasn't clear that I've already done the session. It *was* fun even though I felt like a bit of a wimp at times. But I'm really looking forward to going back on Thursday. "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

First session with my trainer today ... this is gonna be fun ... and painful. "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

LinkedIn might be a better place to do that kind of networking, but Facebook isn't bad, either. It'd be better if you had a mutual connection to someone at that company. If you just call blindly you're probably not going to get anywhere, but if you can somehow get to someone who works there (hopefully through a mutual friend) then that person can find out who the hiring manager is, or find out what the hiring process is, or maybe even refer you through an employee referral program. You're going to have a much better chance of getting your foot in the door with a personal connection than just blindly replying to ads. "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

Oi... I only got 19 right! How'd you do? "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 if there are? "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