NWFlyer

Seconded (just practicing that parliamentary procedure). Also, there are already several posts in General Skydiving about this year's election that would be good topics to move to the new forum as they are specifically focused on this year's election: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3239163 http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3205872 http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3241890 "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

Shit, my lecture was a lot shorter. "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 guys were wearing something last year. "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

Wow, you trained her to drive already? "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

Yes. That's way more. "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're silly! BTW, I'll be in WA in August. OMG, it's true, the planes do fly both ways! Oh, and Josh, welcome to skydiving. Say hi if you do decide to come and hang out at Kapowsin. "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

Check the program guide - Discovery tends to rerun the hell out of everything. Last week they actually ran the first two together - "Ordinary Superman" and "Friends and Rivals." http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/nasa/programs/programs.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

I just watched the first episode... good shit. I've got my TiVo set to record all of them. "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

At Lost Prairie last year, I was coming back to the DZ in the afternoon after watching my friends' wedding at the brewery and deciding whether I wanted to get a couple afternoon jumps in (I'd been good and only had root beer to leave myself the option of still jumping). I sat up on the hill and watched the Otter pilot do a go-around because he was struggling to land. I said "Fuck that, I can't do go-arounds" and popped a beer. "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

There's work ethic and there's workaholism... you might be on the wrong side. But I sense you have some awareness of that. As for me, I have a solid work ethic, yes. I believe in accountability, setting and honoring commitments, and being an honorable and reliable employee. The flip side is that as a professional, I also expect and enjoy the freedom to be able to meet and honor those commitments without micromanagement - that's what accountability's all about. One of the first things I'll do in a new working relationship with a boss is talk about how he/she wants to work together and what his/her expectations are around time management and reporting in on work and project progress, etc. I want to work for the kind of boss who doesn't care if I'm working 14 hours on Monday and 5 on Friday so long as s/he sees me working productively and effectively. Because more than anything, I believe in work-life balance, and leaving my job (for the most part) when I leave the office. I no longer choose the types of jobs that require consistent 70+ hour workweeks, or regular weekend work, or for which how many all-nighters you pulled in the name of meeting the client deadline is a badge of honor. The occasional late night to meet a corporate goal - absolutely, I'm a team player. But when it's part of the corporate culture and expected, all day, every day? Nope, not important enough to me. I prefer some balance, and I'll take a little more predictability for a little less salary. For me, being balanced in my life is as important a value as work, too. Implying that people who don't want to work huge amounts of hours a week don't have a strong work ethic is b.s., IMHO (I'm not saying you were doing this, but I get the sense that others might be). To me, a strong work ethic means honoring the commitments you do choose to make - whether that's to showing up 10 hours a week for a part-time job or to put in 80 billable hours a week at a corporate law firm. "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

Tried milk? "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

Wow. Speechless. "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

Only if you use 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

Most recent stuff I've read and enjoyed (I've been on a nonfiction kick lately). The first two would probably fit best into your "what makes us tick" interest: Predictably Irrational (Dan Ariely) Blink (Malcolm Gladwell) One Drop (Bliss Broyard) The World Without Us (Alan Weisman) Plenty (Alisa Smith and JB MacKinnon) Currently working on In Defense of Food (Michael Pollan). Can also recommend two others by him (Omnivore's Dilemma and The Botany of Desire). "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

Now that there's been a little discussion ... a little more info from the actual (non-hypothetical) day that I observed this (at Z-Hills, FWIW). The day in question came immediately following a day where almost the whole day was rained out. (I was curious to see if some people would say "It would depend on how many jumps I'd gotten in that weekend"). I don't have actual wind speed numbers, nor do I know if the folks on the plane received that much detail. Most of the fun jumpers chose to ride down with the tandems. A few didn't. There were two planes in the air at the time - I believe that one plane got the message successfully, one didn't. After watching the load that didn't get the message land (and the few stragglers that chose to land from the load that did), 20 of the 23 people in the loading area walked back in. At that point, the DZ shut down operations for the day, anyway. I started this discussion because I'm really curious what it takes for people to stand down. Tandems go up in conditions that cause a lot of others on the dropzone to sit down - they're usually the last to "call it" on account of wind. To me, if the dropzone is willing to give up the revenue of a tandem (and in particular, if a dropzone is willing to eat the cost of sending up and bringing down half a plane load of tandems), the wind has gotten pretty far beyond what most jumpers should be up in. The recent incident in Greensburg (where the jumper had one biffed landing due to what he described in his own logbook as "funky" winds, yet chose to jump again and paid the price) got me to thinking ... how do people decide when they've had enough of the winds? "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

Aww, thanks, Dave, but Shelton's looking equally good (maybe 5-8 degrees cooler), but it's also 135 miles closer. So as much as I'd love to see you guys I think I'll keep my carbon footprint on the light side this weekend. "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

Nope, it's a very temperate zone between two mountain ranges. We pretty much sit between 40 and 80 degrees year round, with a few forays out of that zone. But we're in a weird little cold snap right now... well we were, it seems to finally be clearing up and warming up this afternoon, just in time for the weekend.

Not much colder. Usually 30s & 40s. Rarely snow. Commonly wet, though. "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'd be warmer (see attached). Yes, I appreciate the irony that just a few days ago I was whining about the heat at Skyfest. "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

Hypotehtical based on an actual scenario I've witnessed (from the ground, where my conservative ass was already watching). It's a windy day, winds are moderately high and gusty (for the sake of argument, let's say 12 mph, gusting to 18), but you decide it's within your comfort range and get on a full Otter load that's about half tandems and half fun jumpers. About a minute out from jump run, the DZM radios up to the pilot and says "Winds have picked up, bring down the tandems." This information is conveyed to everyone on the plane, and fun jumpers are given the option of jumping or riding the plane back down. Armed with this information, would you still jump? I'm curious what influences peoples' decision-making on jumping or standing down in windy conditions, short of a total shutdown of DZ operations. "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 was getting the lens on a borrowed Mamba replaced at Square One in Elsinore and they said the best bet to clean it is to hold it under running water and if you need to, rub it with just your fingers while it's under the water to get off any dirt. Then just let it air dry. Don't rub it with any cloth. Store it in a soft bag, without anything stored in 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'm also a member of the Freakishly Large Head Club™, so far I've only found the Mamba XXL and the FreeZR2 XL fit my head in full-face helmets. I'll play devil's advocate on the Mamba -I don't like the way the Mamba fits. It may just be my head/face - I feel claustrophobic when I put it on because of the way it hits the mouth. I know many people like the way it opens, I find it a little frustrating (but maybe that's just because I haven't used it enough). I'm planning to get a FreeZR 2 - it works better on my head/face, I prefer the way it opens, and I prefer the visibility. This is not a slam against Bonehead (I love my Guner!) or the Mamba - it's just not the right helmet for me, but it's just a caution that with all helmets, particularly full-face, your best bet is to try as many different styles and sizes on as you can to find the one that you like the best for your uniquely-shaped head. "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/dropzone/Detailed/62.shtml Give these guys a call to see if they are still allowing jumpers under 18. Not sure how long a drive that is for you but it might be your closest option. "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

Couple weekends ago at Kapowsin. But your point still stands. "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

Some of us not as a political statement but because even legals break the law sometimes, too. Or, they don't break the law, but they purchase only the minimum required level of insurance. I don't know what it is in Texas, but in Washington, it's stupidly low - only $25,000 per person/$50,000 per incident in bodily injury coverage. That doesn't go far in any kind of serious accident. The guy who hit me a few years ago was insured but only at the legal minimums so most of my care was claimed under my own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. "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