NWFlyer

I think they already do... it's called the Green Room. Skymama's got the paddle... so I think we know what side she's on. "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 tea with honey's not going to make it go away but you might feel better. Rest, rest, and more rest. Chick flicks. Soup. (none of which will make it go away either but might make it more enjoyable) "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 managed accounts for our four-unit townhouse association for a few years. Our water and sewer bills averaged $300/month for all four units (two units are 3 BR 2 1/2 BA units, two are 2 BR 1 1/2 BA units). So if you figure $75-100/month, that $133 is a bit higher, but may merely reflect a difference in your local market cost for water and sewer services. Quite possibly not that far out of line, and may include other HOA services. If $133 is your total monthly HOA dues, that's actually quite low. If it's just for water and sewer, be sure to evaluate the dues payment separately against what is covered in the dues payment. Typically HOA dues cover different stuff like maintenance on common areas, reserves for repairs/replacement of common areas, insurance on common areas, etc. "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 for you for taking on the challenge of trying to make your own suit. Let us know how it holds up once you've had a chance to take it up in the air - it'll be interesting to see how a pattern designed for a different sport holds up to freefall speeds. Did you make any modifications to accommodate a higher level of expected stress? For me, the cost of a jumpsuit is a bargain, quite honestly. Although the raw materials cost may be lower to do it yourself, I'm thrilled to pay someone else for the time and skill to assemble it (not to mention the frustration factor I'm sure would ensue if I even attempted it). I've also been very happy with the quality both suits that I own. One is from a major manufacturer (Bev Suit) and one is from a smaller jumpsuit maker (vskydiver here on dropzone.com). Having watched Valinda make suits, I know how much time and sewing skill goes into making those suits. For someone like me whose sewing skill extends only to replacing buttons and mending a hem or two, I'll leave it to the pros. What, if any, attempts did you make to remedy the situation with the major manufacturer? What were the results? "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

Winning a contest that requires a lot of talking, performing and being judged in front of hundreds of peers is never an easy thing to do. Takes a lot of confidence, poise and belief in one's self. You've helped by providing the environment that allowed her to ascend to such heights. So. . .any pointers you can share to other fathers who want their daughters to have that gift? Hopefully J's daughter is more articulate than this young lady. "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. Dad's dad made it into his 70s, but died when I was about 18 months old, so I never got to know him (as far as I know, the attached photo taken when I was just under a year old is the only time I got to meet him). The other three made it into their early 80s, and I lost all of them within a five year span in my early 20s. I'm glad I got to know each of them, though. They each led full and interesting lives and I'm glad I got to be a part 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

Nope, but only because of the weather. "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 dunno man, a little breath of fresh air just blew back into the Bonfire. It's feeling kinda funky 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

Walkmonauti! "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

Here is one good discussion on camera helmets (recommended/required to wait till 200 jumps depending on the country): http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2634215 "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 manger position? No, I don't like sleeping on hay. "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 actually not really cranky right now (the job search is going pretty well). But I found a new example for rule #2 today that I had to share with the class: And I did want to add a new rule. 8. If your name is too ridiculous to be taken seriously in a professional context, change it, or change professions. I suppose my old fuddy-duddy self needs to acknowledge that there is an entire generation of young men and women whose parents saddled them with trendy names (and spellings) that are more fitting for a stripper than an HR director... who are now capable and educated and entering the workforce. I just have a tough time sending my resume to 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

Hippie's going to hook up with Taye Diggs? Hot! "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

$50 (which is pretty much the going rate around here) and I'm very happy with the quality. It's my reserve repack - why would I settle for shoddy work? "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

Don't make me turn this car around. "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 love March. "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've stayed in the bunkhouse a couple of times - it's quite comfortable and generally pretty clean. It's air conditioned, each bunk has privacy curtains, and each person is assigned a locker for their 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

Are you unhappy in your relationship? Here's some ideas ... Five Web 2.0 Ways to Break Up With Your Boyfriend 1. add unflattering Flickr tag, “Fat asshole with a unibrow” 2. change Facebook status to “He’s literally dead to me” 3. web widget counts up days since your last climax (currently: "193") 4. share Zoho spreadsheet to split up MySpace friends 5. decline to participate in Series B round of affection (shamelessly stolen from 5ives.) Of course they left out the classic dropzone.com strategy 6. Post query in Women Only under "anonymous" second screen name discussing how much you've fallen out of love with your boyfriend and how you've started spending time with this other guy.... "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

Gargle with warm salt water. Nasty, but it might help. "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 heard you left it at the bar Saturday night. Or maybe in the toilet after you left the bar. "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 random drunk posts go, that's pretty damned innocent for you. And so it goes in the new Bonfire. "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

Okay. I'm no canopy expert and you've got more jumps than me, and I'm staying on my 210 for probably a lot longer than 400 jumps. But in the interest of providing feedback without bashing, do me a favor and do a search for Spencer Garrett (you can skip the Blue Skies thread and go straight to the Incident forum). Yes, he had fewer jumps than you, so it's not a perfect correlation, but because he was a friend of mine he's the first person I thought of when you said "I'm going to fly this canopy conservatively for a while." You're that guy. Spencer was that guy. Smart, cerebral, conservative, buying a canopy that you have every intention of respecting the hell out of until you get a chance to put a few jumps on it, until you're really "ready" to fly it. Do that search and see how well it turned out for him. "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

4+ years ago and the FAI. At the same time CRW became CF. No. Although VRW should really be VFS to fit in with the rest... I think it was just changed... I'm pretty sure I remember hearing that was one of things that the Competition Committee brought to the full board and was adopted as a change at the last USPA board meeting per IPC changes. If you look at the IPC changes that are posted in the RW forum, the references are all to VFS. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3142192 "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

43 years and counting. Still very much in love and have a lot of respect for each other, too. Having a blast in retirement. "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 curious - after staying at what must have been a fairly conservative wingloading (about 1:1?) for 400+ jumps, why did you decide to make such a dramatic downsize/change in canopy type all at once? How many jumps did you put on the intermediate sizes? "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