NWFlyer

Bumping this thread because there's been a few new ones in the last two years and today's is pretty cool, too. "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

Till you feel comfortable. Which I realize is a vague answer, but let me add a little more to make it slightly less vague... Long enough to know whether or not you share compatible views on sex and where/when it fits into a relationship. Long enough to know you want the same things out of the relationship. "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 that how you advise your children to think about sex has to necessarily be related to a concept like "saving yourself" for marriage. I think you can educate your kids about the fact that becoming sexually active adds a level of emotional complexity to a relationship (casual or not) that many people aren't prepared to handle at a young age. Teaching kids to respect themselves and their sexuality doesn't necessarily have to mean saying "wait till you're married." It does, I think, mean, "wait till you're ready to deal with the realities of being a sexually active human being." Kids being kids, they'll probably think they're ready before they are, but if they're brought up with an open, honest relationship with their parents, hopefully the parents will be around to help them through the rough times if it's not exactly what they expect it to be. I'm not just talking about the tangible stuff like pregnancy and STDs, but also the less tangible stuff like how early sexualization changes how kids (especially girls) think about themselves and how they value (or devalue) themselves. There can be a heck of a lot wrapped up in it, and few teenagers are mature enough to take it all in stride. It's all part of growing up, but I'm sure glad I waited till I was 19 - and even then it was a hell of a confusing mess for a few years. "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 suits thing has to do with cards ... since the blog is being written by Mr. Spade. But I haven't seen reference to any of the other three suits. "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

Yawn. Sounds like it was a drama-rama to begin with and the "enabler" is just another player in their little production. "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

If people ask me if I have any kids, I just say "None that I know of." That gets them scratching their heads for a little while. "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 I missed that, but I'm glad to see that it didn't go unnoticed (or that you didn't do something like a tandem... ) "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

$23 to 13. "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 have to say not MILFy 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

That's great news, Betsy. I travel with my rig fairly often, and have been told several times by TSA screeners that mine is the first parachute rig they've actually seen. Usually they're pretty excited to actually see one. If they've actually handled one, it'll probably be a lot less intimidating. "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

Nah, I've always been lame. "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, let's see... you made it to the DZ at the crack of ... what... 2 p.m. yesterday? Good to see ya back stateside, Vinny. Even if you can't handle your booze anymore. "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'll be down there if the weather's good but I haven't done a tandem yet and I'm not sure I want to start. I'm sure you can find a volunteer, 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

Actually, several more loads went up at Elsinore ... mostly wingsuiters since it seemed like everyone who was doing RW except for me left the DZ. It's okay, though, this crotchety old dude stopped by and kept me entertained for much of the afternoon. Said something about how he used to skydive back in the day... "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 time do you show up? Many DZs have better instructor availability first thing in the morning - so if you're there when the DZ opens you might have the best luck. Does your DZ schedule student jumps or is it just first come, first served? When you have your license, if the weather's good, the number of jumps you get is limited only by how fast you can pack or get packed, the lift capacity available at the DZ, and your own energy level. At a large DZ turning two planes, with two rigs and a packer working for you so you can do back-to-back loads ... you could do 20 or more jumps in a day if you were so inclined. I think you'll find most fun jumpers (especially newer to the sport) are likely to own a single rig and get in 5 to 10 jumps a day on a typical day if the lift capacity is there. At smaller DZs, being able to get that many jumps in may not be possible. Obviously, weather can compromise that, and shorter days in winter limits your ability to crank out as many jumps. "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

Got one in here at Elsinore this morning before the clouds rolled in. Now they're trying to rally a hop & pop load ... "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

For once, no! (Although I can understand how you might think that - my reputation does precede me!) And now I'm off to my plane. Peas 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

So I'm on my way to Perris & Elsinore for the weekend, passing through security in Seattle. There goes my stuff through the X-ray, and I hear "Whose bag is this?" and without really looking I say "It's mine," but wait... that's my other carry-on bag, not the one with my rig in it. Huh. "It looks like you have a water bottle in here with some water in it." Shit. Forgot to empty the Nalgene. Krisanne turns on the humble charm. "Yes, I do, I'm so sorry, I meant to dump that out before I got here." "Would you like to keep the water bottle?" "I really would - is there anywhere we can dump the water?" Screener looks around... finds the closest trash can ... empties a half Nalgene of water into the trash can and says "Nobody saw that" with a smirk on her face and puts the empty bottle back in my bag. Meanwhile, she goes back to the x-ray screen and my rig sails through without a second glance. Every so often there's one or two that remind me that they're not ALL mindless drones. "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 know. Think he has enough experience? I thought he was a drummer. "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

Another interesting question that I don't know the answer to is whether my insurance company could go after the DZ or the DZ's insurance company... even I never got a lawyer involved. That would suck, but insurance companies try very hard to find someone else responsible for the bills (that's why they always ask you if you got hurt in an auto accident or at work ... if the health insurer can show another insurer is responsible, they will do so.). Hopefully the waiver would stand up in that case. "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

But we don't know why she signed on with the lawyer - she may well have been looking for someone to help her file claims with her own health insurance company or accident insurance company. It's possible that's all she was looking for assistance with. In my mind, a big part of the personal responsibility we take in skydiving is financial responsibility, and that means being able to pay for our own medical care one way or another, whether that's through donations from friends and family, our own financial resources, or making sure that we're adequately insured... and if we do take steps to be financially responsible through insuring ourselves and those insurance companies are turning around and trying to fuck with us when we file claims, I don't see anything wrong with getting a lawyer to help you work with those insurance companies to make sure you get paid. BUT ... make sure you get representation that won't try to turn on the DZ. None of us really knows - there are a lot of impassioned posts from Tera's friends that sound like there really was no intention to go after the DZ and I really genuinely hope that's true. "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

Non-skydiving case, so it's a bit of a different animal... but, I have signed papers with a personal injury firm with no intention of filing a lawsuit unless it became absolutely necessary to cover my costs, and then I'm only talking about a lawsuit against insurance companies with whom I do business, not against a company like a DZ with whom I knowingly entered into a waiver. I hired an attorney to represent my interests with the insurance companies (in this case for an auto accident so we had two auto insurance and one health insurance company involved - fairly complex situation). I needed help navigating the multiple claims that needed to be made to cover my medical bills (just under $100k). A lawsuit would have only been considered had the claims not covered the cost of the medical care, and only at the end of the process after exhausting all other options. It would have been months later, not hours after signing the papers. Turned out not to be necessary at all as the settlement covered my care. This guy was predatory, not legitimate. I can't believe I'm defending personal injury attorneys, but after having worked with a decent one, I can say that there's decent ones out 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

Yep, and the USPA folks are going to be at Skyfest. I got a tshirt and will be at Skyfest. I guess I'll have to make a point to bring it. But shit, I won't get there till the 6th! "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 been talking to Shark? He always blames me... ever since my first visit to Elsinore during the February monsoons in 2005. "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 do have to sign in to get to the Incidents forum. But that's not a real deterrent for a lawyer or media person who wants to gather information. The one thing it does do is prevent the information from being indexed on search engines. "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