lauraliscious

bummer. But I'm sure it was a great father/daughter bonding experience regardless!!! You are so awesome for going there with her and supporting her like that. And, that last pic you posted of her, I swear, she looks just like you. But prettier. Much, much prettier. Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

In my experience the answer is both yes and no. It is less "hidden" in the south, and more people assume it's okay to make these types of comments to complete strangers (as long as they are the right color). But I don't think that it's necessarily more prevalent. Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

DSE - Sorry you got hurt, but glad you are alive to tell us about it! You've got an entire community rooting for your recovery, and sending good vibes. Hope the pain diminishes quickly! Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

Hey, it could have been much worse. At least she didn't use the n-word, or "coloreds". There are ignorant people everywhere. If it makes you feel better, you can try to educate them, but in my opinion in a situation like that it's best to just smile and nod, ignore the comment as best you can, and just move on. Or maybe tell her that you're not okay with that comment. I mean, you're not going to change the cashier at McDonalds world view in a few minutes. For the record, I've lived in Cincinnati, the San Francisco Bay area, Atlanta, and currently the Knoxville, TN area. The city I live in now is 94% white. NINETY-FOUR PERCENT. By far the least diverse place I've ever lived. And it's hard to tell if there's a lot of racism here, because everyone around here is white. So I hardly ever hear racist comments anymore, because it just never comes up. Yes, I think people around here are ignorant when it comes to race, probably due to the lake of diversity. But I have family members in Ohio who use the n-word and talk about cats in a barn "breeding like Mexicans". I think it's mostly caused by fear of the unknown. On another note, a man at work once asked me if all my professors in college were "queers", because all the professors he's ever known are queer. And then he started to imply that all his gay college professors were into child pornography. I just told him that I didn't know, that it didn't matter to me what the sexual orientation of my professors was, and I actually got pretty upset. He dropped the subject and hasn't ever brought it up since. It's pure ignorance. I feel kind of sorry for people who live in a world that's so small and judgemental. Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

None. Piercings make me squeamish. Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

Leftover pasta with artichokes, black olives, tofu, feta, and homemade pesto sauce (using herbs out of my garden), and steamed oysters. Hard to resist oysters that cost $5/dozen from the local market! Yes, I realize they were probably trying to get rid of them, but they all opened in the steamer and they were delicious!

Happy happy birthday Andrea! Hope you have a great one!!!

I like the way you think. :) Ok I will add this to the updates iI just made to the site, yes dogs are allowed. Please check the site for more updates as well. J Sweet, that greatly increases the odds that I can come! And don't worry, my dog will be leashed up or penned up, I don't want her anywhere near spinning props (or landing canopies for that matter)! Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

OMG, I agree with Popsjumper and ryoder! I would MUCH rather land under my own (steerable and flareable!!!!) canopy than in the basket of that balloon! Were you freaked out landing with the balloon?? I LOVE balloon jumps, they are my absolute favorite. I've probably done a dozen or so, do them every chance I get. Climbing up on the edge is really really tough the 1st time, but after that it just gets easier and better. Now I'm just nervous in a balloon when it's under around 1000'.... Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

My little brother who is 20 and in college swears he can't survive the dorms without an oscillating fan. I think a bike (depending on the size of the campus, I guess), and an alarm clock are key! Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

Are well-behaved, friendly, leashed dogs allowed at Raeford and/or Skyfest?? I know everyone claims their dog is well-behaved, but my dog really is, I swear! Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

Happy happy birthday, Tanya!!! I hope you have an awesome day!

Your "edited to add" statement above sounds perfect to me. Just clean it up and make it a bit more professional. It shows that you acknowledge your previous weaknesses, and show a genuine desire to continue, work hard, and succeed. I would hope that they want students like you, over the kids that they have to babysit just because mommy and daddy want them there. Good luck! +1 Sounds like a good Personal Statement topic right there. You say you're not the same person you were 4 years ago...talk about why & what happened in those 4 years that caused you to change. Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

Good suggestion Wendy! When I went with my dad for my 16th bday we ate at Tavern on the Green for lunch one day and at the Rainbow Room for dinner another day. Definitely both memorable experiences, since fancy dining definitely wasn't an every day experience for me. Not that it's an ordinary experience for me these days either. Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

That's awesome J!!!! What a great father/daughter trip. My 16th birthday present was a trip to NYC with my dad and it rocked. My brothers got to go to New Orleans and Vegas. The youngest one gets to go to Vegas AGAIN for his 21st birthday. He sure is spoiled. Anyway, one of my favorite parts of that trip was the Statue of Liberty crown. I liked seeing inside the statue. It was crowded, and took all afternoon, but it was worth it. I think you guys would really like Avenue Q, but I have not seen those other shows you said you are thinking about so I can't comment on them. The Producers was really good too, if that's even still playing. And you can find some GREAT theatre off-Broadway too, that's definitely worth checking out, especially if she's going to be a theatre major. I have tried to do those 1/2 price ticket places, but the lines are always too long and the shows seem to be limited. I've never wanted to waste 1/2 day in NYC standing in line at those booths, but I don't know, maybe it's worth it. I always enjoy just wandering around Central Park too..... Hope you guys have fun!

I was out at our new DZ today, Skydive East Tennessee helping them get set up for our opening day tomorrow. A potential student called up asking about AFF lessons. He asked if Skydive East Tennessee was the same as Skydive Knoxville. With a local area code, and directions to "Skydive Knoxville" on the site, it looks like it is a very strong possibility that they are the same thing. Only problem is, the directions on this website take you to ASC in Cedartown, GA!!! It just says to go south on I-75 until exit 288, not mentioning that exit 288 is in Georgia, not Tennessee, and not mentioning that the directions take you to a location that is 200 miles AWAY from Knoxville. This is deceitful and wrong, and I don't see how you can separate ASC from Skyride when the fake Skyride websites give explicit directions to ASC. And it's not like you don't have options of where to jump, the Farm is 5 minutes away. I'm not saying all the people that work or jump at ASC are bad people. But this hurts our sport, and until Skyride stops re-directing customers under false pretenses to ASC, I won't be supporting ASC with my jumping dollars. Oh yeah, and things like "For more information on becoming certified in Tennessee, call 865-246-0872 and a Skydiving Tennessee specialist will be glad to assist you." (which is a direct quote from the Skyride website which directs people to ASC) REALLY pisses me off!!!!!!!! Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

Relative work, both the skydiving and non-skydiving kind. Tomorrow... jumps at our NEW DZ, Skydive East Tennessee!!! Everyone will owe beer for this one, no one has ever jumped there before.

Congrats Billy! She's beautiful!

We want to have our cake, and eat it too. Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

Yeah, I forgot that I've seen the Producers too. I thought about it as I was driving to work this morning, and they were advertising the show in my town in a few weeks. Maybe I'll go see it again (although last time I saw it was on Broadway....figure that's gotta be tough to beat). It was one of my favorites too.

Wow. Good question. I have seen many more touring Broadway shows than actual shows on Broadway, but seeing a show on Broadway is quite a treat! These are the Broadway musicals I have seen.... Showboat Cats Les Miserables Phantom of the Opera (5 times?) Chicago (2 times) Avenue Q Mamma Mia Spamalot Wicked Cabaret A Chorus Line Rent And probably a whole bunch of others I can't think of right now. My favorite hands down has always been Phantom. Although I haven't seen it in probably 10 years.... Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

Seriously, some good chocolate is always appreciated. I like Dove or Ghiradelli chocolates as opposed to Hersheys. Cadbury eggs are always good. Some sort of gummy candy?? Like gummy bears or something? I know that's not a real traditional Easter candy, but I do love gummies! Andes mints. What kinds of sweets does she like? Maybe some Peeps, if she likes them. I personally wouldn't want any Peeps in my easter basket. Oh yeah, and I'm sure regardless of what you put in it, it will be special since it's coming from you.

Keys to a car, hidden in a plastic egg. Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

I had a similar problem a few years ago. One of the guys I worked with had a diagonistic computer that you plug into the car to see why the check engine light is on - saved me a trip to the mechanic. The check engine light was on because the gas cap had not been tightened properly. Tightened the gas cap, disconnected the battery for 10 minutes, car reset itself and check engine light went away. Took it to the emissions place. They ran the test, BUT since the car data had just been reset there was not enough data stored in the memory (or something like that) for them to get the data they needed during the emissions test. SO, I had to drive the car a few hundred miles before they could run the emissions test again and get it to pass. Luckily, I was going on a 600 mile road trip the next day, and the emissions test wasn't due for another week. Took it back after the road trip and it passed, no problem. The check engine light did not come back on either. Just wanted to share. Disconnecting the battery *might* make the light go away for good, but you probably won't get the results you need on the emissions test if you do it that way. Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

Well, duh!!! The management depends on the people who are managing! I think they are the most important people of all!!!! Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091