NWFlyer

Hells yeah, it does. Just passed the 6-year mark in a great relationship. Just turned 40 and I'm healthier and more active than I've ever been. My family rocks and all of them are healthy and happy. I've got three amazing trips on the books already for the next year (LP, Grand Canyon rafting trip, and boogie in Nicaragua) ... and that's just the ones I've planned in advance. I have a well-paying secure (as secure as anything can be in this day and age, anyway) job with the kinds of benefits (generous vacation time, plus health and disability insurance) that allow me to play stress-free. I worked hard to get here, but I'm enjoying the spoils of that hard work now. Is my life perfect? Oh hell no, but it really does fucking rock. "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 were two other folks in my FJC who also went on to get their licenses. They beat me by a mile and (I think) both got their A with exactly 25 jumps. Took me 37 jumps over 6 months (over a Washington winter, so I dealt with a lot of weather days). I'm the only one who is still jumping today. In fact, I think even just a year after we all started I was the only one who was still jumping. Frustrated the heck out of me then, but at some point I realized that it wasn't about how quickly I got it, just that I got it (eventually). I've tried to keep that attitude as I've continued growing and learning in the sport. There's always, always, always going to be someone you can compare yourself with and come up lacking; all you can do is go at your pace so long as you can keep going. "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

Skydive City and Skydive Sebastian in Florida have boogies every year. As you mentioned, Skydive Arizona does, and Skydive Perris typically has one as well. Those are the four I can think of that consistently have holiday boogies. All of those areas typically have fairly reliable weather that time of year (though they're all likely to be chilly overnight, and all have at least some chance of rain, it's usually pretty reliable weather). You could do a search in this forum for each of those DZs to look at past posts about those events to see if one or the other has a better "feel" for you and your friends. I've been to Skydive Arizona and Skydive City for their holiday boogies and can highly recommend both, but I've heard good things about the other boogies as well. "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

Skirt steak, hanger steak, tri-tip... some of my faves. "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 worry less about 7 to 14 than I would about 17 to 24 (for example). If the winds are already high(er) and you add gusts on top of it, I'd probably sit down. Then again I'm often one of the first to sit down. Mostly I keep an eye on what it's doing and when in doubt, I watch a load or two. Bear in mind the predictions are just that; the better measure will be the anemometer at the DZ and the consistency (or lack thereof) of its readings. One thing I've always appreciated about Skydance is that they monitor the winds consistently and strictly enforce the pre-established wind hold threshholds. If you've got any doubts about the gustiness, talk to one of the instructors, maybe ask them to watch a load with you to see if canopies are generally behaving (meaning there's less likely to be turbulence) or misbehaving (meaning the gusts are adding turbulence). Also, the direction of the wind matters, too. If it's coming out of the north over the trees, it'll create more chaos in the air. "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 you can pre-pay to save one step on the day of (should be able to call or stop by manifest), and you can probably pick up a waiver in advance so you can fill it out before, but in the 5 years that I've gone you still have to go through the rest of the process in person (waiver review, gear check, pick up boogie bag, 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

Flights booked (yay for frequent flyer miles! Thanks for the generous advance notice, Rich!). "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

Yup. http://www.skydancegiftcertificates.com/boogie2011 "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 feel the same way regardless of whether I'm a local or a foreigner. Let me make informed decisions. "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, Krisanne, following the links you'll find.... http://uspa-benefits.org/ Cool. (But since you specifically mentioned life insurance, you can, perhaps, understand how I interpreted it as the only insurance service USPA provides). "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://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2011/05/30/10-ways-to-ace-a-phone-interview I know you already had your interview, but there are some good tips in here for the next 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

I've told this story before but it never gets old and always brings a smile to my face. The last time I saw Deuce was in Walnut Creek when the NorCal community was gathering to celebrate Tommy & Cliff right after they'd both gone in at the Eloy boogie. I was still living in Seattle but was down in NorCal to help Monkey who'd just had ankle surgery that day. At some point I had to go back out to the car to feed the parking meter, and was walking back to the bar when a big truck pulled up behind me and a loud voice in a weird fake foreign accent said "I would like to have sex with you. How much for the sex?" I had a brief "WTF" moment before I realized who it was, JP just sitting in the truck with a big shit-eating grin on his face. Miss ya, fucker. "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 there were a lot of shared dishes and/or everyone ordered roughly the same (e.g., everyone got drinks and the same number of courses) among friends sometimes it's less hassle to just divide evenly. But if it's all over the place in terms of who ordered what, definitely take care of what you owe + tax/tip and don't screw your friends. This one made me laugh because a few years back I was on a softball team and we'd usually go out for beers after the games (sometimes food, too, depending on the time of day). My friend Tony and I were often the last two people there because he was constantly picking my brain about business school (he wound up getting into and going to the same program as me) and we'd just get caught up in conversation while everyone else would leave. Invariably we'd count up the pile of cash on the table, look at the bill and say "Cool! Free again!" because people tended to leave too much money. "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 about right once you count in time to deploy and fully open. Most loggers (I have a Protrack and an Altitrack) will represent the deployment altitude at about the point when you fully decelerate, which is some point after you deploy assuming all goes as planned. Logging what your N3 shows is as reasonable an approach as any and it is what many skydivers do now that we've got such devices available. Approximations are just that and aren't going to take into account the difference in freefall time for skydives of different types. "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 as when I donate to a cancer foundation, I don't get to decide if they spend my $100 for a clinical trial, a screening awareness program, part of a staff member's salary, to replace a printer in the office, or for tablecloths at the fundraising gala, if you do choose to give money to someone who requests it, you don't get to decide exactly how it gets used. Now, maybe if I were in the six-or-seven-figure donor range, I could tell the cancer foundation that they needed to use the money to build a lab and put my name on it, but since I'm not, I choose organizations that I believe will use my money appropriately to meet whatever expense it is needed to support. Same goes for if I choose to give money to a jumper in need - I don't get to decide if they pay the hospital, the physical therapist, the landlord, PG&E, or to put up a Megan Fox poster. "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

While life insurance is an excellent thing for skydivers to have to ensure their loved ones are covered after their death, and I'm glad to hear USPA offers that, it does exactly nothing to help pay for medical bills for a living jumper. "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

All lies and jest. "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. "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 must be Perris. I got a very important foot rub in the Bombshelter 6 years ago. "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

Not according to this: http://www.accuweather.com/us/ca/davis/95616/forecast-details.asp?fday=3 But then you look at wunderground and they say "up to 10." And weather channel says 12. I love how sites can come totally different conclusions on the same raw data. (In other words "we don't really have a fuckin' clue"). "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, it's definitely heavy with "food court" quality fare. I'm not sure which lounge you're in, but I don't recall the food choices in the Delta lounges being all that great, either. There's only so many Biscoff cookies one can eat. Though I do recall a good nut mix last time I was there ... Too easy of a target... As I recall, it was sweet, spicy, AND salty. "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, it's definitely heavy with "food court" quality fare. I'm not sure which lounge you're in, but I don't recall the food choices in the Delta lounges being all that great, either. There's only so many Biscoff cookies one can eat. Though I do recall a good nut mix last time I was 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

Delta lounge access was the only thing that kept me sane in ATL when I was traveling there regularly in 2006. When you're in an airport that's built for less than half the passengers it typically carries, it's nice to be able to get out of the masses and into a place that has free SweetWater. "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

Since she didn't burn her bum, sounds like she at least had the bottom half of a suit 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

Take a painkiller/anti-inflammatory, too, that'll help with the pain. Hydrate your body and your skin, and rest - your body's telling you to - so do it. And next time, more sunscreen / more protective clothing and more time in the shade. "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