Zennie

Lindsey - That's really great. Expresses the sentiment about as well as I can think of. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

I'm a Texas jumper. You can send me the check and I'll hold it for him..... Honest. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

LOL! That's classic! ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Funny you mention this. I was just researching it the other day. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but this is basically my understanding.... Many people stow their lines they use rubber bands that are too loose, or they make their stows too short. During deployment, as the bag is pulled from the container, the lines all free from their stows simultaneously, and the chute exits the bag and begins inflating. The lines have all "dumped" from their stows, rather than popping out stow-by-stow as they should. So what you have is a canopy beginning to open (or largely open) before you've even reached line stretch. So you can imagine what awaits you when you reach line strech... **WHAM!** This is one of the causes of really brutal openings. So the lesson to take from it is: 1. Make sure you use bands of the proper tightness. 2. Make sure your stows are about 2-3 inches long. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

That was totally out of line. ALF (Anonymous Little F@#$). ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

It seems we're starting to see an influx of ALFs hiding behind Anonymous posts. The one thing I like about this place is the low amount of noise compared to places like wreck. Any chance that you can turn off the anonymous posting feature? I know it won't totally stop ALF posts, but it might reign it in a little. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Welcome!

Excellent article! You're a great ambassador to the sport Omri!

OMG that's hilarious! What, are they trying to even the playing field in case of emergency? Seriously, I wonder if they think other passengers will freak if they see a guy sit next to the exit carrying a rig. Like I could get my rig on if the things was going down anyway (not that I wouldn't try -- heck maybe I'd just Greg Gasson it). *Shrug* ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

My bad. It's next Monday. And here I am gounded in this swamp formerly known as Houston. I was kinda looking forward to getting a jump or two in. Anyhoo, I'll still prolly bring my rig up. When does the evening load usually go up on Mondays? I'll be down off of LBJ so I'll need to time it so I can get up there in time for at least one jump. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

THAT'S a case o' beer! Congrats dude!

That's what I've heard. I know one of our very respected riggers advocates it. But a friend of mine psycho-packed for years and now is very adamant that they're dangerous. Why? Because he apparently got his back broken on a brutal opening (psycho-packed Sabre). He's absolutely convinced it's the psycho-pack. I can't help but wonder if it could have been some other factor. Such as line dump, dumping in a track or not having the slider all the way down (or a combination of these). So this is news to me because everything I've heard is that psycho-packs soften the opening. Has anyone every heard of a psycho-pack increasing the likelihood of a hard opening? ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Congrats? I'm hoping that your move is a Good Thing. Are you still gonna be able to maintain dz.com? I'd hate to lose this (and if you need to pass it on, I'm sure there would be plenty of volunteers here). ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Wimps. I'll happily jump out of a plane at altitude for 'em. Heck I'll do it for free (just pay my jump ticket). ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Hey. Who are those four creepy looking dudes on horses? ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Kinda thought all (single, at least) skydivers were like that. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

No no no no no.... I'm agreeing with you here! Just when people think they have me figured out, I throw 'em a curve ball. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

HAMSTERS!!!! Big purple HAMSTERS!!!! With clown noses, cantalope eyes & bananas for teeth! Oh dear God!!!! They're all coming toward me chanting "Bay Watch.... You must watch Bay Watch" MAKE IT STOP!!!!!!! ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

First of all spectre, it is a terrible tragedy anytime anyone takes their own life, I'm very sorry to hear that. My sympathies. I hate to get overly clinical on such an emotional issue, and I know I'm walking into a minefiles here, but I think it's an important distinction to make. The person who abused your nephew was a homosexual pedophile. The difference is important. Not all homosexuals are pedophiles, just as not all heterosexuals are pedophiles. The are many women who were sexually abused by heterosexual males at a very young age and have been severely traumatized as well -- to the point of being suicidal. So I think Jessica's point is well taken. But you are also right. The fact that it was a homosexual that did the abusing exascerbates the situation because of the way society views homosexuality. So I'm sure the shame that he felt was amplified. I can surely understand the anger and hate that you feel toward the person that abused someone you care about. But I guess my point is that lumping all homosexuals into the "pedophile" category isn't really very fair. Not all heterosexuals are child abusers, and neither are all homosexuals. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

I do find it a little ironic that we self-admitted misfits who are supposed to be so tolerant of others are somewhat closeminded in terms of sexual orientation and ethnicity. I haven't seen the ethnicity thing here, but on wreck there is a thread I find nothing short of remarkable. Those of you that frequent wreck I'm sure know which thread I'm talking about. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

It's all about knowing (and being) who you are. Ted's Zen moment of the day. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Yep. And it's probably gonna hurt a lot. BTW. That's the punch line to the "What's the last thing you hear a stupid redneck say?" joke. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

I dunno. If I were a swooper I'd do it for the personal kick. So I'd swoop if there were 100 or 0 people watching. Now where the testosterone (or Darwinism) may kick in is how aggressively I do it. I'd prolly wind up being more aggressive if more people were around. Sort of that "Hey y'all. Watch this!" syndrome. Since I know this is how I am, I'll prolly need to spend my whole career keeping that impulse in check. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Houston @ Skydive Spaceland. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Hey! I thought you got "Addict" at 600! Crud. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie Addict #2 - NOT!