Zennie

Are you sure you weren't just asleep drunk and with the bedspins? - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

I have a lot of dreams where I have impossibly hard pulls on my cutaway/reserve handles. As in I'm wedging my feet in with my hands to get the thing out. Those are kind of creepy. I had a really interesting dream the night after I had my little "problem" on the tube dive. I dreamed tha I was able to fly effortlessly, perfectly, in every dimension. On my head, on my back... I'd just fly up and do it. Probably a subconscious manifestation of my desire to improve given my inability to do what I wanted/needed that day. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

Like others have said, the "right" thing is sort of situational. Especially when things go wrong. i will say that I'm glad to hear that you checked your airspace above before dumping. We've had this debate before, but it's situations like this that bears out what I'm saying... yes the low man/woman has the right of way. But I'd rather check above first and be alive than be "right" and dead. As far as breakoffs go (notwithstanding the above-described screw-up), if I'm in the middle of a big cluster of people (which can happen a fair amount in FF), I'll usually watch where others go and then take an open line. The only thing I may suggest for the next time is if you see people above you, maybe look to the sides and see if you change headings a bit to find clear airspace. Of course you belly fliers like to hum it down a lot, so you may not have time to do that. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

Miss you too girl!! It's not like I've been avoiding y'all. I've just been on a tear learning stuff and so I'm trying to make the most of it before I start plateauing again. Plus, when I do make my way back (and I will, sooner, rather than later) we'll be able to do some more fun stuff together. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

Thanks for the words of encouagement. It really does mean a lot to me. Anyone that knows me knows I beat myself up worse than anyone else possibly could. Always have, prolly always will. That dive was going to be my last of the day anyway. So I didn't really leave because of that... though I would have had a lot of trouble jumping again anyway. My mind wasn't really there and I don't think it would have been a good idea for me to get in the sky with other folks when I'm like that. I'm going to San Antonio with Liz this coming weekend, so it'll be the following weekend before I'm out again. Of course, given the topsy-turvy nature of my marriage right now, that's subject to change without notice. Anyway, thanks again. I feel like I've learned so much from you guys in the past few weekends than I have in the past several months. Of course that means I'm now trying more challenging stuff, so I'm bound to screw up. I just don't like it being safety screw-ups. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

I stand corrected. It all happened so fast I probably interpreted you starting your 360 as the beginning of a layout. In any event I wasn't trying to place anything on you. Sorry if I created that impression. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

I'm crossposting this here because I think this messsage really needs to get out... Yesterday I had what is by far my biggest f#$%-up since I started skydiving. I'm still rattled by the whole thing, and I still like a complete asshole, but I think it's important that I tell this story so that others won't repeat my mistake. I'm not going to mention folks names, mainly because it's irrelevant. We were doing a dual tube jump. Tube Jumper #1 & Tube Jumper #2. Six of us then formed a campfire around the tube jumpers. I was in a sit almost directly behind Tube Jumper #1. Mistake #1. Our pre-detrmined breakoff was 6k. As the tube jumpers waved off, I took a quick look behind to make sure no one was behind me, then I started my typical sit breakoff by laying out to do a backtrack away. Mistake #2. What happened next caught me (and obviously the tube jumpers) completely by surprise. As I laid out, instead of tracking away, I drove forward... HARD. I've never had this happen before. About the same time, Tube Jumper #1 started his breakoff. So we were on a really fast collision course. I thought for sure I was either going to hit him or his tube, but by some miracle I managed to miss the tube by inches (my only thought at this point was "get up and to the side"). Literally, if it was 6 inches I'd be amazed. The force of the slide was so great I even drifted over Tube Jumper #2's space briefly. I went into a track until I was just clear of both tube jumpers and dumped. In retrospect I should have tracked a little longer to get more separation. Mistake #3. Thank God no one was hurt or worse. It's bad enough to put your own self in danger, but we have a responsibility not to endanger the people that we jump with. All of this could have been avoided if I had done two things differently.... First, I should not have gotten directly behind either of the tube fliers... though with the wicked forward slide I had it still may have put me on a collision course with one or both of them. Nevertheless, being behind someone with their back to you is definitely a bad place to be. Most important, I should have done a 1/2 cartwheel into a head down track instead of doing the back layout. Had I done that, I wouldn't have slid toward the tube jumpers and the breakoff would have been fine. I had been advised early on by an instructor to do a back layout when tracking off from a sit, so I got in the habit early. Ramon advocated in the 1/2 cartwheel early on, but since I was already in the habit of doing it the other way, I rarely tried the cartwheel approach. I now see why that is the much safer alternative. So what I'm trying to say, is if you are in the habit of doing a backtrack out of a sit, seriously reconsider this approach. You may have done a ton just fine, as I had, but it only takes one time at the wrong time & place to make that approach disastrous. Do the 1/2 cartwheel. It's much safer and predictable. And predictability is absolutely critical on FF big ways. And to both of you tube jumpers, again, there's not a whole lot I can say, other than I'm terribly sorry because I know I royally screwed up and put both of you guys in danger, which is totally unacceptable. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

Yesterday I had what is by far my biggest f#$%-up since I started skydiving. I'm still rattled by the whole thing, and I still like a complete asshole, but I think it's important that I tell this story so that others won't repeat my mistake. I'm not going to mention folks names, mainly because it's irrelevant. We were doing a dual tube jump. Tube Jumper #1 & Tube Jumper #2. Six of us then formed a campfire around the tube jumpers. I was in a sit almost directly behind Tube Jumper #1. Mistake #1. Our pre-detrmined breakoff was 6k. As the tube jumpers waved off, I took a quick look behind to make sure no one was behind me, then I started my typical sit breakoff by laying out to do a backtrack away. Mistake #2. What happened next caught me (and obviously the tube jumpers) completely by surprise. As I laid out, instead of tracking away, I drove forward... HARD. I've never had this happen before. About the same time, Tube Jumper #1 started his breakoff. So we were on a really fast collision course. I thought for sure I was either going to hit him or his tube, but by some miracle I managed to miss the tube by inches (my only thought at this point was "get up and to the side"). Literally, if it was 6 inches I'd be amazed. The force of the slide was so great I even drifted over Tube Jumper #2's space briefly. I went into a track until I was just clear of both tube jumpers and dumped. In retrospect I should have tracked a little longer to get more separation. Mistake #3. Thank God no one was hurt or worse. It's bad enough to put your own self in danger, but we have a responsibility not to endanger the people that we jump with. All of this could have been avoided if I had done two things differently.... First, I should not have gotten directly behind either of the tube fliers... though with the wicked forward slide I had it still may have put me on a collision course with one or both of them. Nevertheless, being behind someone with their back to you is definitely a bad place to be. Most important, I should have done a 1/2 cartwheel into a head down track instead of doing the back layout. Had I done that, I wouldn't have slid toward the tube jumpers and the breakoff would have been fine. I had been advised early on by an instructor to do a back layout when tracking off from a sit, so I got in the habit early. Ramon advocated in the 1/2 cartwheel early on, but since I was already in the habit of doing it the other way, I rarely tried the cartwheel approach. I now see why that is the much safer alternative. So what I'm trying to say, is if you are in the habit of doing a backtrack out of a sit, seriously reconsider this approach. You may have done a ton just fine, as I had, but it only takes one time at the wrong time & place to make that approach disastrous. Do the 1/2 cartwheel. It's much safer and predictable. And predictability is absolutely critical on FF big ways. And to both of you tube jumpers, again, there's not a whole lot I can say, other than I'm terribly sorry because I know I royally screwed up and put both of you guys in danger, which is totally unacceptable. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

I was about to ask about any police problems this year. Guess that pretty much answers that. Looks like WFFC has a new home and the Rantoul folks just got a major annual shot in the arm for their economy. Gotta love those "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." arrangements.

Alright!

To be honest I'm not sure exactly what my wife is right now. Sure as hell isn't the person I married. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

OK. I drive a BMW M3, but I think anyone that knows me at all knows I'm about as anti-yuppie as they come. So why the BMW? No I didn't buy it for snob appeal (and BMWs are passe now anyway). Take one out on a nice long curvy road sometime and you'll see why I favor them. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

Yeah, and that's about all one can do. You can't make someone love you. You can't control other people's decisions. You can just do your best on your end. If that doesn't get you anywhere... well ... you did your best. And I'm satisfied with the effort I've put in on my end. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

6 years married. 4 years dating before that. A lot of good and hard times shared together in that time. Not to get into the gory details, but I just can't continue to put emotional energy into a one-sided relationship. It just hurts too much. Maybe she'll come around, but I really doubt it. In any event, I moved back out of the house so she has plenty of time & space to think about what she wants. Well, not too much time. You can only be indecisive for so long before the decision is made for you. Anyway, thanks for the encouragement. It's friends like y'all who have made this much more bearable. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

If it's any consolation, my on again, off again, on again marriage looks like it's off again. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

Yeah, 4, 5 & 6 are way better on the stupidity front. The winner was just a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong ... AHEM ... time. I'm leaning toward runner up #4 because it's just so freaky, twisted & unique. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

Not to pick nits.... OK I am. But technically you don't have to be killed, all you have to do is remove yourself from the gene pool. There have been a couple of candidates who did something extraordinarily stupid which rendered them unable to ... ahem.... procreate. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

I had a big scare last weekend that sort of underscores this. It was semi-windy. I had been doing 180 front riser dives all day. The first mistake I made was committing to a 180 when I was feeling turbulence. I should have said "no" and cross/downwinded it. But I didn't. I cranked the front riser and mid-dive I felt the canopy drop way more than normal. Almost like it went into freefall. I knew I had just hit a rotor and so I let up on the risers & started the flare. I was reacting to the drop I had just felt, so I flared too high and wound up in a stall about 20' off the ground. I held the flare where it was and then hit the last bit of flare I had left right before I hit the ground. I wound up PLF-ing and just getting a little dirt on my pants, but it scared the bejesus out of me. So airlocks don't make you immune to turbulence. My canopy didn't collapse, but it still dropped when it hit turbulence. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

To tell you the truth I hadn't looked at his numbers. But given his post I prolly should have figured it out. Still, I agree that hybrid jumps are pretty advanced. But generally the belly base is not too difficult compared to standard RW jumps. You just need a clean exit (yeah, easier said than done) and remember to take high grips. For the freefliers, especially the stingers, that's a different story. I have 350 jumps and I wouldn't even consider myself close to being a stinger. My hanging skills ain't that great either. But you're right. Some drill dives would be very helpful. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

There's a couple of guys at out DZ who can easily break 140 on their belly. I love going up with those guys. You are an ideal base guy for a hybrid. Hook up with some other fast RW folks and some freefliers. Hybrid jumps are a blast!

A lot of it is gaining an understanding of how your canopy flies. How much altitude will I lose when I travel X-distance upwind/downwind? How much altitude will I bleed off with toggle sashays? How much altitude will I lose with braked turns? These are things that you take into account when setting up an approach, and those only come with time under the canopy. The more you jump, the easier it will get. And the easier it will become to adjust to a new canopy. After a while you'll just sort of know what you need to do. You develop a spatial awareness that ground huggers don't have. About the only time I look at my alti is when I'm getting ready to set up my hook. It'll come. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

Hey Amber, sorry I didn't get back to you. I'm so glad that things are looking up for you and you're in better spirits.

I went through exactly what you're going through, but I was around 30 when it happened. I had been a practicing attorney for about 5 years. I had reached a point in my career where I had pretty good understandiong about how the legal system really worked. I knew that if I was going to get any further I was going to have to become a political hack (I was working for the Indiana state government at the time) or join a law firm. I'm not the political hack type and I saw the hours law firm attorneys had to work and the positions they had to take. I wasn't really feeling too good about that either. About that time I was really into computers. And programming was a pretty high-demand field. So the choice I was faced with was staing in the security of my current career, even if it may be stagnant or crazy, depending on which path I took. Or taking a chance, going to school and doing odd-jobs to at least have some income coming in until i got the skills I needed to get a programming job. I decided to make the jump. It was very scary, but fortunately my wife supported me in this. It was a lot of hard work, but now I make a pretty decent living and I'm much happier than I would have been if I stayed in law. These types of things aren't easy. I just decided I was going to take a chance rather than waking up one morning 30 years down the road and wondering "What if I had...." Good luck! The best advice I can give is to follow your instincts and do what makes you happy, not what makes you the most money. If you do what you enjoy you'll do it well. If you do well, the money will naturally follow. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

Exaaaactly. Of course if you really wanna do some fun jumps you can take up..... Oh nevermind. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

If that's the case then that's one thing. Still it seems like a poor choice of words. But like I said, I'm not going to ride you about it or anything. I'd just note that there are a number of black folks (a couple of whom I know personally) on these forums who might feel hurt by that. I know people say "It's just a word. Don't be so thin-skinned.". But if you haven't been tormented by that word all your life, been discriminated against on almost a daily basis solely because of something over which you have absolutely no control, you really can't understand. If nothing else, it brings back very painful memories. No one deserves that. One of the most clever plays on words I've seen, and that's sort of in the spirit of what you're doing, is the Muff Brothers. The "Muff" refers to earmuffs, but of course it also has a much more fun connotation. Again, I'm not riding anyone. I'm just pointing something out that may not have been considered. - Z "Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon