ROK

We talked about this for a while. In the end, I would have given her back to her mother. It pains me, but Morgan and friends committed crimes that they needed to pay for. I couldn't have lived with myself if I did differently. I would have made sure that childrens services had a room in her house though!

"It seems morally wrong". Morality should never be cited in a political discussion. If we the sheeple lived the morals we profess, the polls would be empty on election day...

Remember the saying "God created man, Sam Colt made them equal"? A gun puts that old lady about to be mugged on the same grounds with her attacker, but it also puts the young school kid on the same grounds as the jocks that have been making their lives miserable. Whenever entering a For/Against debate, the sides don't take long to pull out the extremes as examples. Passion and stupidity quickly end any chance at looking at something objectively. If you look deeper, a lot of issues could be avoided by teaching social skills, and self worth at a young age, and maybe by showing outrage towards factions in our society that pollute our childrens minds. Perhaps the bad "tools" to be debated, would become the parents and their choices.

Let me preface my answer with the fact that I was raised by a man, and then spent several years as a very hard and cold soldier. It was about 5 years AFTER I was married that I figured out what love was. It took me a while to differentiate between "really care about", and "love". I'm probably a bad example BTW- It was with my wife that I figured out what love was.

How old are you and he? I was thirty-four before I married, and before I ever said the "L" word. I probably didn't even know what love was until about 5 years ago! The difference between myself and women was that I liked being in comfortable relationships, but got up tight when I felt the push for more. Be secure without the reassurance. Don't push at all and he'll probably start looking to you to be reassured! It won't take you long to figure out if you're wasting your time.

Even with a carry permit, schools are off limits. I understand the logistics, but he exercised bad judgement in my opinion. Now if this case was like the ones that involve a factory parking lot, where the individual was fired, I would feel differently.

All I know is if ANYONE stands in the way of her achieving her power goal, they better be damn strong, and very damn afraid! She gives me the chills more than accurate heavy artillery...

in any emergency situation the less decisions there are to make, the better the outcome will be. I'm usually in the front of the plane with a wingsuit on (behind twenty jumpers)and if the pilot gives the order to exit I only want to worry about one thing, my altitude. If we're low, I'm hitting my reserve out the door, if were high enough, I'm tossing my pilot chute as soon as I safely exit. Even if I'm at full altitude I want to have time to take in my spot, and plan accordingly after I exit. Things I don't want to be calculating while waiting my turn to survive. Besides the pilot, there's usually no one designated as being "in charge" on the load. Everyone marching to a predetermined plan is much better than trying to decide who's calling the shots. When I don't fly my wingsuit, I'm usually near the door. I also don't want to worry about someone screaming through my canopy.

It's nice to get something... I got jump tickets for V-day! She isn't into skydiving, so it means a lot to me.

I bought 5 acres and really wanted to make it nice and green. My Father and Uncle told me that they had the perfect grass seed for me. It was resistant to cold, draught, bugs, and just about everything else. So...I buy these bags of seed, plant it, and in no time I have a really sweet lawn. I cut it, three days later...I cut it again, and again, and again. The stuff grows 3-4" a day!!!!! I found out that it was genetically engineered to feed live stock (a lot of em too). My dad and uncle sit back and laugh their asses off at me If I don't cut it regularly, I have to use the tractor to catch up. The old bastards got me good. PS- I just found out that the roots grow an average of 8' deep too...

"better be able to go for hours....again...and again...and.... " A couple of weeks ago a few guys were talking about Cialis (sp) on the ride to altitude and in my best commercial voice I said, "and if you have an erection that lasts more than 4 hours, call your doctor immediatley". This chick sitting by the door looks up and says "fck the doctor, if you have an erection that lasts more than 4 hours, call me"!

Night jump #3... I sat through the briefing again even though I knew that I was "experienced". We sat around waiting for the weather to clear, it was storming big time. It cleared nicely and we went up and did an awesome 4-way. Got under canopy and I was mesmerized by the towering clouds in the distance. It was sheer beauty. Life couldn't be any better! Got back with no problems, set up to land, and it was really dark. No problem, I've done this before! I forgot one small detail. TAKE OFF YOUR GOGGLES WHEN YOU GET UNDER CANOPY! About 50' above the ground on final, my goggles fogged over 100%. By the time I thought "oh sht" I landed like a lawn dart without flaring, or flaring just a little from impact. Walked up to the deck and the pilot walked up and said that the plane window fogged up so bad that the heater in the plane couldn't keep up with it. He had to stick his head out the window to land. I felt a little "weird". Excused myself, jumped on my 800lb Harley, got about half way home and discovered that I no longer had the use of my left arm. I broke my shoulder. 6 weeks later...I got to jump again. Details matter...

If you're like me, you won't be able to wait! Definitely buy your generic gear first. Audibles, etc., but not your rig... When you do get back, rent for a while and decide on the canopy that you and your instructors feel good about. When you lock in on a canopy, go to a reputable dealer who you can stand in front of and look at used containers and canopies. Don't buy without looking, touching, and flying. There are some awesome dealers out there. I bought a demo rig from Dave at the Sunshine Factory. I still use the same container. I downsized within the limits of the container (it is getting a bit mushy though) and sold my original main without losing hardly any money on it. I caught an end of the year deal and got an awesome price on my first canopy. The container is still in great condition. Parting with it for my next downsize (when I do) is going to be very very difficult!!!! If you're wise, you'll do like everyone says and spend your money on jumping for a while. If you're like me...try and limit your loses by dealing with someone who is going to fit you and give you a fair deal. Keep in mind...WHAT YOU JUMP TODAY MAY NOT BE WHAT YOU WANT TO JUMP IN A YEAR!

I'm not really sure what jump number I became confident. I'd be foolish to forecast my next 100 landings as being perfect. There are just too many factors involved. I do know that I have become a better canopy pilot by following a ritual (and by taking a canopy course with video). When I get to the DZ in the morning, I walk out in to the LZ and let myself feel the wind and the air. I look at the sock/ flag and just soak it in a bit. I check the uppers and pick out my perfect (opening) spot and allow myself a wide range of sky that should still be ok without jeopardizing my ability to make it back. I'm usually on load one so I don't have the luxury of watching everyone else. If it's windy I'll pick an area of the LZ that keeps me away from the worse turbulence (depending on the wind direction). After I open, I do a control check, which includes a flare. I may flare a few times just to let my body/mind/canopy sync. with each other. While under canopy I know where I want to be at a 1000'. I look around and check out all of the other canopies I can locate, get a feeling of their trajectory and altitude, and look around (a lot). I may ride my rears if I see someone I know will come into the pattern about the same time as me, or drop some altitude if they're flying something big and floaty (while looking around...a lot). I always pick a target. The peas are nice, but canopy traffic and ground traffic can cause a lot of changes in the couple of minutes before I land. If my first choice is too "hot", I pick another target, usually an opening next to one of my friends that has landed. If I f'up on my set up, I land where it looks safest and forget about being Mr. Accurate "locked into an exact piece of real estate". It's also a good idea to keep yourself out of "traps". Don't put yourself in a situation that will drop you in the swoop pond, or the side of the hanger if you over/under shoot your target. Accuracy is an awesome survival tool that may kill you if you're not comfortable with a last minute plan "B". Learn how to read the playing field, and know your canopy, and as you go you'll know other's canopies too. First thing in the morning there's usually no wind so I know that'll I'll be hauling ass. I like to haul ass. My canopy responds better to toggle input when it's moving at a good clip. I don't think about landing on my feet, ass, head, I think about squeezing every last drop of energy/speed out of my canopy before I touch the Earth. Where do I flare? I start my flare high enough above the ground to flatten my glide angle, but not so high that I'll fall out of the sky when the energy is gone, or so low that I become a human lawn dart. My toggles are going farther down as my speed decreases in an attempt to keep flying farther. When the speed is almost zero, my landing gear is down. If I misjudge, I PLF my ass off. IMO knowing my canopy has probably been the largest factor in improved landings. If I fly a different canopy, I'll open at altitude, flare it, stall it, spin it, dive it, flat turn it, riser turn it, and make friends with it. Learn how it feels before I ever get within a mile of the ground. Take a deep breath at the start on final and let it all come together. Never stop flying my canopy until it's deflated on the ground. With my current canopy my hands and toggles are below my ass when I finally stop. My hat is off to all instructors. Teaching someone where to flare, when to flare, how hard to flare, not to hit a building or other canopy, and how to know when to PLF has got to be a staggering task, about like teaching someone to drive and brake properly without ever getting in the car with them. The only thing that I’m 100% confident of when I exit the plane is that I will, without a doubt…LAND.

I drive fast, obviously take chances, but my rigger is a three hundred pound Australian with an attitude (and one of my best friends)!

This is good stuff. Things that may be common sense to the experienced, but are vary valuable to a new flyer. Keep them coming...

Be it whether you've been flying camera for many years, or just for a short time, share one thing that made you a better skydive photographer/ videographer. Also feel free to use one-liners as advice to others. Examples...."Have at least three hundred jumps", or "Don't forget to remove the lens cap"!

Are you Mexican? 1953 Willy's CJ3B 1968 Chevy Step-side Datsun 1200 Datsun 240Z 1970 Ford F150 A damn old Chevy Impala that I could put a case of beer and two bags of ice in the back floor board. Drilled a whole for the water to drip out...

I like the Optima and have used it on most of my jumps. I use a Viso and a Neptune for visual and have found the Neptune to be more accurate when wingsuiting. My freefall times are closer to those I jump with. The Viso would be as much as 15 seconds off. Even when set in the "slow fall" mode. That aside...L&B rocks and I've had excellent luck with their customer service.

and I thought I was just constipated!

PEPPERIDGE FARMS SECURITY GUARD PLUMMETS INTO VAT WHILE LISTENING TO TONY ROBBINS CD.

I got it! It was the tape. It was a brand new tape. I tried different settings and was pulling my hair out. Tried another brand new tape and it worked perfectly. I appreciate everyone's help. Robert

I know very little about camcorders. I bought an HC96 and a new .5 Royal lense. I have the zoom set all the way to the left on "W". I point it at an object about 20 feet away on auto-focus, and then switch it to manual without making adjustments. When I play the video back on a screen, it shimmers and is slightly blurred. It doesn't matter if I'm indoors or outside, it looks the same. I'm just starting in the learning phase. What am I missing that will provide a clearer picture?

Quote1. Scott Bland (notsane) 2. Scott Gray (The Brothers Gray) 3. Chris Gray (The Brothers Gray) 4. Todd Statdfield (DaMan) 5. Michelle Statdfield (EmLo) 6. Justin Shorb ( Flock U) 7. Jeff Nebelkopf (heffro1) 8. Chuck Blue (Z-Flock Wingsuit School) 9. Mike Masheff (Grey Mike) 10. Phil Peggs (boring uncreative name) 11. Nick Rugai (#1 gay guy) 12. LoudDan 13. Tyler Smith(jumpinfly) 14. Scotty Burns (Scottygofast & Z-flock) 15. Tero Paukku (Aerodynamite) 16. Matt Hoover 17. Rick Hough (Flock U) 18. Bob Futrell (FlyinBob) 19 Frank Boluk (FrancoR) 20 Rand Mahoney (rmahoney) 21.Lurch (Flock U) 22. Robert Kelley (ROK)

Simple and easy!