NWFlyer

And as the Crack Choir learned in LP one year, you reallllllly do need access to a fridge. Trying to use a cooler and ice as your source of refrigeration is not a good thing. Get the jello to set at the proper temperature before using your cooler only to transport. Ever try to eat frozen jello? It's not pretty. "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 it's like to have a conversation with billvon. "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

(pssst... Jaye ... it's soybeans) "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 already April 4 where you are! Have a great one! "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

Hey, you two, get a room. "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 you paid for express service and didn't receive express service, I can't imagine why you didn't ask for and receive a refund. "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

6 years ago I was paying $60 or $65 for my lawn in Seattle - that assumed mowing plus whatever else he could get done in an hour and a half (some amount of trimming/weeding each week, assumed that he wouldn't get all of it done on any single visit). When I found this guy, it took me quite a while to find a lawn service that had any capacity at all. This guy was just starting up his business, so he honored those rates throughout the time I was his customer; I know he was charging other people more by the time I moved in 2002. In other words, I know that the going rates in this market are well, well, well more than $10/lawn. I'm really hoping that we've all misinterpreted Jaye's post in some way. Hell, I think my brother was charging $20/lawn back in the 1980s. "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

She said somewhere that she can walk. No one walks 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

So how much time are you looking to spend? That wasn't quite clear in your initial post. 1 or 2 weeks? "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 about a trip to Southeast Asia? I've only been to Thailand, but I've heard amazing things about Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore as well. You could easily spend lots of time in any or all of those countries. Lots of adventures, and you can also take time to just be a beach bum. "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 seem to be missing the tall one and the small one in lavender in the last photo. Did they take a tumble over the falls? "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 would you propose to take away "elitism," then, to take away competition? To take away measurement? To take away awards? There are always going to be skydivers who are better at what they do than others. Are you proposing Animal Farm? For some people, just having fun and being safe is what's going to motivate them in the sport. For others, being competitive is going to motivate them - and seeing the best of the best and striving to be at that level will be motivating. Nothing wrong with that, either (so long as a newbie takes the appropriate intermediate steps to get there, of course - watching the PD Factory team swoop then jumping on a canopy like theirs the minute you get your A license isn't going to end well for anyone, of course). But if watching Airspeed train inspires a new skydiver to form a rookie 4-way team, or if chatting with Norman Kent inspires a new videographer, this is all cool stuff, I think. Of course, it's just as likely that seeing a team from your local DZ go to nationals in the intermediate class could be an inspiration, and helping edit tandem videos might also inspire you to be a videographer. There will always be an elite class of skydiver. But the good thing is we don't have to worship the few of them that are assholes about 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 someone who started at a relatively small DZ, who is still relatively new to the sport, and who has had the opportunity to travel to a fairly large number of DZs (22 or 23 so far) in my short time in the sport. I've been fortunate to get to meet and/or at least observe some of the elite "names" in the sport, and I have found the overwhelming majority of them to be highly accessible, warm, gracious, and welcoming to people of all experience levels, and very few "sky gods". Of course, if they're busy training, I don't expect a lot of access, but that's understandable. It's still fun for someone with my (lack of) skill to witness their training and skill in action. That doesn't mean that once I've met the "elite" I lose appreciation for the people who brought me up; quite the contrary. It's the people I jump with day in day out, who have mentored me and continue to mentor me, whether they were my original instructors that I still jump with, or people I've met along the way who may not be at the upper echelons of the sport but who still have a lot more skill and experience than I do but who are willing to share it with me. Those guys and gals are my true heroes because on an everyday basis they're making me a better skydiver. Of course, at all levels, there's always gonna be a few people who think their shit don't stink. Not really worth my 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

And how do you know that? I'm omniscient. Duh. "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

Your soul. That's a little disturbing. How do you know this - what evidence do you have? I'm omniscient. Duh. "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

Your soul. "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

The real solution is: Don't use IE. No problems with Firefox. "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 a great one, Michelle! "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

Going to see this guy speak then going out to this place afterward. Shaping up to be a fun night. "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

My countdown says we're under 4 months (115 sleeps to be exact) so it's time to start the official thread with all the details (which will keep skymama happy). The 41st Annual Skydive Lost Prairie boogie will be held from July 26 - August 4 2008. Straight from the LP website: Lots more info available on the website. A little more info from those of us who have been there... Kalispell, MT (Glacier Int'l) is the closest airport (about 45 minutes), but it's also the most expensive. Spokane, WA is about 4 1/2 hours away and often has good deals since Southwest flies there. Seattle, WA and Salt Lake City, UT are both around 10 hour drives, and you can probably find locals to connect with that are driving from either city. You're going to have to camp. There's a few local lodgings, but not much - if you're looking for hotels, you'll end up in Kalispell, and that's no fun. Part of what makes the Prairie so special is being on the DZ and experiencing all that living on the Prairie has to offer. Yes, there are showers, and yes, they're occasionally hot. There's only a couple of flush toilets, but there are plenty of porta-potties, and they're well-serviced so they're generally pretty clean. I'm sure others will add lots more info. But for now, let's get the list going!!!! The list: NWFlyer "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://mail.google.com/mail/help/customtime/index.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

Wow! There's also Cap'n Danger, too. http://www.mcphee.com/items/11677.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

Have you been shopping at Archie McPhee? (A highlight of the neighborhood visit for anyone who stays with me is a visit to the store, which is a short walk from my house... always a delight). "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

:10:0 Great visit to Southern California, including 15 minutes in the tunnel with Mel (booyah!)... very productive session. 5 great jumps at Elsinore on Friday and Saturday, and 5 biggish ways at Perris on Sunday. to come home to the rain and dreariness in Seattle, though the weather's supposed to improve by the weekend - hoping I can get a few more jumps in on my repack before it expires. "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 there afternoon/evening, yes.