NWFlyer

. In rural Alaska the government maintains the "roadkill list." Citizens can ask to be put on the list, and the local authorities call them when moose (and other large animals, too, I guess) are taken out. The citizen then has a certain amount of time to get said animal from the roadside and salvage whatever they can of the animal. It's a win-win for the government since it'd be prohibitively expensive to maintain the crews for cleanup efforts in such large rural areas, and for the local citizens, who are quickly alerted to free, available fresh kills. The proprietors of a B&B we stayed at told us about it - they said they'll get calls two or three times a year. There's rules about the number of times you can say "nope, too busy" before they'll drop you off the list - these Alaskans take their roadkill responsibilities seriously. "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 excellent rule. I do NOT talk specifics on the internet. "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, I agree with you there, but I've seen a lot of people do it just because they are frustrated, immature, angry, or too caught up in their own drama to realize that they're shooting themselves in the foot. "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 pocket of air created above a jumper's body when he or she is in freefall. "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 alluded to this in the last couple days ... but anyway, I'll come out and say it... I got laid off on Friday. Reality of life at a startup company. I took a risk, I loved the job, the job got eliminated, and it caught me off guard. The job I had before this one wasn't right for me and I had a number of issues with the company, but I made sure that I left there on very good terms even though I could very easily have used my departure as a chance to air a lot of dirty laundry. When I left, I made it very clear that I was leaving for the new opportunity. "It's a chance I can't pass up," I said. I also pointed out that the reality of the job's lifestyle (70-80% travel) was starting to wear me down. And you know what? Today, I'm really glad I did that, because I just got through talking to my boss at my old job about the possibility of doing some contract work for them on a short-term basis while I look for the next opportunity. If they want me to come back full time, the travel will be my reason for not coming back permanently, but I have maintained the professional and personal relationships to allow me to explore the possibility of working there again at any time. Another story. Back in September of last year, a recruiter at a company I'd been courting hard before I took this last job got back in touch with me after dropping off the face of the earth. I was thinking "NOW you get in touch with me, when I'm happy in a job?" I almost didn't respond to her because I was so annoyed. But I did, I sent her an email and said "Hey, it's really great to hear from you. Here's what I'm doing and right now I'm really happily employed but let's stay in touch." And yesterday, I got back in touch with her. It's nice to have that relationship maintained. You never, ever know when circumstances are going to change on you. If you ever feel like you're in a position to serve up a big dish of "fuck you" and burn a bridge behind you, think long and hard before you do it. And it's usually a really good idea to keep that bridge intact in case you need to walk back over it some 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

No, but as a point of data I filed on 2/3 and my refund was in my account on 2/15... never bothered to get a status since it was so fast. So if it's less than 2 weeks since you filed (at least this early in the tax season) I'd say don't stress too much about trying to get a status. "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 that set the record for shortest time from audio start to clicking close on a SFW YouTube video. "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 a literacy volunteer about 15 years ago with a mentally disabled woman in her 40s. She had lived with her father until his death and at that time had moved in with her sister and sister's family. Her sister's family had begun to look for things to help her improve her confidence and independence, and among them was the literacy program and a job program. She worked 4 hour shifts a few days a week at a Pizza Hut. She was an active part of the team, and I think feeling part of the team was probably the most rewarding part of it for her, but her job didn't involve a lot directly customer-facing work (I think she helped clean tables, but she wasn't taking orders or serving food). She got the job through a social service agency, I believe, and they worked with the restaurant to match up skill sets to job needs. From my perspective as her tutor, I could see a direct relationship between her job and her literacy skills. It was like it all worked together - everything was this virtuous cycle and she gained confidence and independence in everything in her life. "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 did miss a great weekend, Valinda. But you can be mean back. You just have to keep saying, "Honey, what happens in Vegas ... stays in Vegas." It'll drive him nuts. "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

Diaper rash ointment. Works for big assholes as well as little assholes. "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

See here for a recent similar discussion - licensed jumper with an approx 4 year layoff... http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3126132 "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 it helps me, sure it does. "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 ones who step up. I thought that was pretty obvious. "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 way it just keeps throwing me curveballs. And the good people in my life continue to step up.

:1:0 Timing was off and missed my opportunity for a second jump today, and I didn't plan well to stay overnight (even had a house to crash in) to take advantage of the beyooootiful weather up here in the PNW. Still, got in a great five-way in 55-degree weather, which is unheard of this time of year. And I do have to send big thanks out to the little birdie who dropped some jumps on my account at Kapowsin. That totally made my 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

And once you've done that, you may identify a few other BOD members to talk to... and once you've done that, it's amazing how much information you'll gather even if you can't go to a meeting. There are several BOD members that I have found are very open and willing to talk to members 1:1, via email or PM, or on the phone, or in person, about the board and their experience on the board. "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

Of course, many DZs will take those "shoulds" and interpret them in their DZ rules as "musts" so depending on the DZ at which the OP does his first jump back, he may be required to do the recurrency activities recommended for his license. Sounds like he's leaning towards them, anyway, but I just wanted to point out that what USPA recommends and what individual dropzones require is often not the same thing, nor does it have to be. "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's my take on Eloy - if you're not shy, you won't have any trouble finding people to jump with. It's such a busy DZ that if you're just hanging around waiting for someone to come to you, it's possible to slip through the cracks but if you're willing to go up to manifest and say "hey, can you point me to the LOs" you'll have jump buddies in no time (plus, there's usually people running around with t-shirts that indicate they're organizers). The Easter Boogie is a smaller boogie than the Holiday boogie, so it's a lot easier to connect with people, and the overall atmosphere is a little less chaotic, so it's going to be easier to talk to the organizers and get matched up with the right group. The bunkhouse is a decent choice of accommodation if you don't mind sharing with (potentially) a bunch of others (though last year at the boogie it was half empty). As for tunnel - if you've not done freefly in the tunnel before, be aware you'll be starting on your belly - might want to get in touch with the tunnel folks to talk through the progression so you're aware of how it might go depending on how fast or slow you progress (and if you have done freefly in the tunnel - you might want to ask them what type of documentation of your experience they might need before they let you freefly there ... I don't know a lot about how all that works). "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

Well, I'm an RWer, but I went on my own last year to the Easter boogie and didn't do a single solo. In fact, I don't think I've ever done a solo jump at Eloy. (Well, I guess the sunset cross-country jumps would count as solos, but I digress). I'll let the freefliers chime in on the organizing on the freefly side, but it's been my experience that it's quite easy to connect with organizers there on the RW side. "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 can recommend several "very special episodes" of Beverly Hills 90210 that dealt with that very topic. Maybe that'll help. Seriously, nothing much to offer in the way of serious useful info from my end as I've been fortunate not to have to take it to that point with any loved ones (so far). I wish you the best and hope that you're able to have the impact you are looking for. I'm sure that'll be a tough day for you. "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 not. But at least the corporate gym membership is prepaid through September. "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's Fucking Matt Damon "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

Gym this morning and yesterday morning. Hoping to take advantage of that nice weather forecast this weekend for some outdoor exercise. And apparently I'll have a lot more flexibility in my schedule to work out starting Monday. "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

Been way too long since Friday haiku poetry I have no words left Balmy weather here Perhaps I will jump again That's two weekends straight! "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

Beautifully stated, JP, and I share most of the sentiments. Even though I didn't stay as engaged through the entire weekend as you (I did sneak off to skydive) I came away with many of the same opinions ... and the same plans. It's easy to bitch and moan. It's a lot harder to do something about it. But it's also a lot more fun. I'm really glad I went.