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excellent thread. it's good to think of these things. and think again of these things. and again... for me it was looking at a picture at TN Skydiving Center w/ Chris Martin. He was listing off names of some of his friends he jumped w/ at Quincy one year... they were all posing in front of the 727 in ridiculous outfits. By the time Chris was showing me the pic, most in it were dead from skydiving accidents. This was in 1995. Then, on a 3 way, also in 95, as a low time jumper (lord have mercy, I'm STILL a low-timer) I watched an old man who should never have been allowed to jump open very very low. I was under canopy already and he just went lower and lower and lower. I was horrified but couldn't take my eyes off him. I was screaming pull pull pull but I knew he couldn't hear me. His old FXC (is that what it was?) AAD fired and he landed in trees. He was grounded. Not too long after, Chris Martin's Twin Bo crashed at about 250' just after take-off w/ all my friends on board. I should have been on the load. It lost an engine and went in to trees. Luckily, no fatalities, but that scared me to death. Of course, now Chris is dead as well. He was one of my AFF instructors, a drinking buddy, kite flying buddy, arguing buddy, etc. The reality of death in this sport has never been more real to me as it is today. Yet, I have taken things for granted. I have been too cavalier in my gear checks, in getting involved in jumps that were beyond my experience level. This has been a grand wake-up call for me. I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

you're right... but wouldn't GFD say that we're supposed to be there for each other to console each other's nuts? I'm there for your nuts man. I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

ok, you guys must have crashed the PAYPAL server, I've just tried to make my donation and it says they're having technical difficulties or some shit like that! So, snail mail check goes out tomorrow from me. Add my name to the list. OMG, you guys so kick ass. I'm proud to be part of the family. I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

can I be next, ro? pretty please? whatever will you do w/ TWO catholic boys? I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

ok, back at the library. thx again for the well wishes. feel kinda bad stealin gfd's thunder but i don't think she minds, in fact she probably welcomes the distraction blood tests showed sky high white blood cell count, no surprise. chest xray inconclusive. still running urinalysis and stool culture for parasites and such (oh what fun... where's walt when you need him?)... also waiting on blood cultures, could take 24-72 hours to see what may be lurking in the blood, bacterimia, etc. Cecilia could be in the hosp. up to 3 days or more. Right now they're all a little stymied. Doc was leaning towards doing a lumbar puncture, thinking this was looking more like encephalitis or meningitis, but Cecilia isn't sluggish and lethargic all the time. Her fever will wax and wane and she'll get a LITTLE active again, still not to her old self, but enough to lead the doc to believe it's NOT one of those, so they're doing a couple of other blood tests that, if they come back high, it will be further possible evidence of either encephalitis or meningitis. Then, they'll do a lumbar puncture (spinal tap). I dread them doing that. Also, the health department came out to test our well... since we're in the country, our rental property is on a well that was inactive for about 6 months before we moved in, maybe there's something unhealthy lurking... who knows. When I got back from my last posts here, Ceciliia was running 104.5 fever. I just left the hospital and she's down to 96. It's just so fucking odd. Never seen anything like it. So, they're testing everything and anything, hoping something shows up. More later... and thanks again for your support. (by the way, we're in good spirits, just so you know... Cecilia is doing ok too... she actually smiled before I left, probably the first one today

ok everyone, i'm at the library taking a break. cecilia's still roasting from a 104.5 fever over in the hospital. it'll go down then shoot way up. just weird. no seizure activity, which is good, given the rapid fluctuations. blood work, chest x-rays, etc. not back yet. mom is resting w/ her. urinalysis not back yet either. going back in a few minutes to give mom a break for a while. thank you all so much, muenkel, lauralicious, rl, michele, lisamaria, krisanne, stitch, pincheck,clay, kathleen,linder, walt, fuck, all you other fuckers who I love so much. more updates later... I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

omg, no trust issues AT ALL!!! the $ will be rolling in quickly i reckon... I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

do i have to wipe my ass on your laptop again? I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

thx y'all... i'm in a bit of a panic right now. emotions are raw, as you can imagine. i'll update as soon as I can. I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

As if the weekend wasn't bad enough, my 15 month old has been running a fever off and on for several days now. We haven't been able to get it down. She's sluggish, just not herself. So wife just called from the doctor's office. They're hospitalizing her right away, they fear something serious is up, don't have any details yet. I'll post more as I have info. Please send prayers and vibes. I was supposed to be travelling to philly in an hour for work... not anymore. Fuck. Can't this shit just stop? Please? I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

Me too. I was anxious to jump by ass off, but then I followed my gut and just relaxed w/ the kids... and as the reports came in, I just decided to practice packing (always good for me to do), connect w/ friends, and I actually recruited some whuffos to do some tandems. I'm glad I sat this one out. But next weekend, I'm flying for lost friends. I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

do you need $ contributions? since I finally have a job I can at least help that way. I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

you ass. you made me cry again. well done. I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

thanks hippie! btw, didn't say it at the farm in april, but it was nice dining w/ you and your wife. i don't ever want that to go unsaid. I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

lol! me too! there's gonna be avocado trees springing up around this country in the weirdest fucking places! and she's gonna laugh her ass off over it! I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

hugs rl... let me know if you wanna get together in philly... i'll call ya. i'm leaving today. I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

she created life in us too, didn't she, every time we laughed. "I'm feeling randy!" I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

well, it's morning and i'm still numb. it's simply an amazing testament to this woman that she could have such a PROFOUND impact on so many, mainly through the internet. HH, thanks for this site. I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

Perhaps it's because mortals are involved. Human beings always complicate things. The more complex they can make something, the better it looks. Maybe they think complexity makes them look smarter. People have their pet doctrines and traditions. Unless Christ is flagrantly dishonored in some way through this, I think it can be a good thing-- different denominations focusing on different facets of truth. But when did Christians kill each other over a translation?! This is news to me. I don't know if it's really over differing translations, but in various parts of the world, Protestants and Catholics are renowned for their hatred of each other, that has gone as far as murder... look at Ireland for just one example. "May they be one, Father, as You and I are One." I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

I said this in another thread, but it bears repeating, if for no one else's benefit but my own... one good thing that comes from these tragedies is that, for me anyway, it solidifies and strengthens the bonds of love I feel for my fellow jumpers. It also serves to wash away passed resentments and ill-will towards those I've not gotten along with. Through these events, a comeraderie, for me anyway, is engendered which fills my heart. While the grief is sharp, the fellowship is comforting. I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

grab someone you love and hug the shit out of them . I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

A CRW dog in the making--woohoo!!!!!

well, congratulations on staying alive! glad you're ok. I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

Wendy, I tried to wrap him last weekend to make you proud, but it was very benign... in return he put his foot through my canopy when we docked. turnabout is fairplay I guess. I'll get him next time. I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...

thx for scanning. damn that's nice. I miss Lee. And JP. And Chris. And...