johnsw71

I was a bit nervous on the first jump, but scared shitless on jumps 2 through 25 or so once I knew what to expect. I spent most of my time on the way to altitude during my AFF jumps wondering if I was going to piss my pants, shit myself, pass out or somehow do all three at the same time. The most amazing feeling in the world was my first jump without fear. Now I spend my rides to altitude thinking about other stuff, like how interesting it is that gas in our intestines expands in the lower air pressure at higher altitudes causing really bad cramps and nasty farting. John

You're welcome to book my travel too, Krisanne. Should I send you a description of whom I'd like to sit next to? And yeah, I agree on the Krisanne rocks thing.

Count me in -- the Eloy virgin. Is it too cold to jump naked in December there? Amazon bbarnhouse gasson Icon134 incode johnsw71 jumper03 LouDiamond matt1215 monkycndo NWFlyer QuickDraw Remster rhanold SeaKev simplyputsi (maybe) SOULSHINE Viking

So how come nobody gives a rat's ass when a guy (e.g. me) jumps naked, but when a woman is out there in the buff it makes the radio? Hmm. Maybe I just need to hang out on myspace more...

Congrats! Sorry to hear you were the only one naked though. I was able to pull together a five-way for my 100th, with the rule being that all gals and guys participating be as buck as I was. It was awesome! I'm just glad my 100th didn't happen during the winter.

I don' t think so. I purposely studied what the room looked like while I was there in the unconscious state with the idea that I would come back when I was awake to compare. So I memorized what kind of furniture was there and how it was layed out. It was totally different in the waking world. I'm pretty convinced that OBEs take place in our minds and that although they are a very different state of consciousness from dreaming, we are not actually outside of our bodies. There's clearly no way to know for sure -- that is just my personal conclusion after several years of experimenting with them and documenting my findings. (I have about 150 pages of journal entries documenting all of my lucid dream and OBE-like experiences). I'd be curious to know what others think about whether or not we're actually out of our bodies in this state of consciousness. Has anybody experienced the surges of vibrations I mentioned? It's really freaky.

Yup, both on and off shrooms. I agree that they are closely related to lucid dreams (dreams where you are aware that you're dreaming and are in control) except that the one's I'd call "OBEs" always start with an incredible surge of vibrating energy (no, I was not using a dildo!) and there is usually an unbroken stream of consciousness from being awake to being in the "OBE realm", whereas lucid dreams usually start in a dream already in progress. I've done experiments where I would go places I had never been in the OBE and then go there afterwards for real to compare. I did that once in a youth hostel where I went down the hall in the OBE state and into a room I had not yet been in. When I woke up, I went into the room for real, but it was completely different from how it looked in the OBE state, which makes me wonder how "real" these experiences are. As to why over 50% of us have had them but it's never discussed at the DZ, I bet there are a lot of things we'd learn about each other if the discussions over beer covered more topics than sex and drinking! ;-)

Add me to the list. I should have a 2-person North Face tent (or maybe a large seven person tent, depending on which one I decide to use) available for loan if anybody is still in need. Party in my tent if I use the seven-person one! ;-) benforde Chaoskitty Clownburner Cornholio! CSpenceFLY and as many RoamingDZers as I can find! Evelyn Feeblemind Fungh funjumper101 Gia georgerussia jmp2liv johnsw71 (Ugh, I really need a more original name!) Lovelife22 Lauralicious McBeth monkycndo NWFlyer pattersd Seabazz1 stitch skybytch Uponone

Hey all, I'm in Detroit for work for a few days (with my rig) and am trying to figure out where to jump. I'm actually staying in Burmingham. The database pointed me to Skyhawks, but their answering machine says they're out of business. Any advice? I'm more of a freeflyer if that matters. Is there anything closer than Tecumseh? I'm gather that that's the place to go, but it looks a bit far since I may have only a few hours tomorrow afternoon/evening. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks! John

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I was looking for a tent for Burning Man on CraigsList and came across this: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/spo/180630021.html This looks pretty damn suspicious. Does it look familiar to anybody? If this is in the wrong forum, feel free to move it. John

Hey all, I'm thinking of driving up sometime on Thursday and probably back Saturday evening/night. If anybody would like a ride up from or back to downtown San Francisco, give me a shout. (I can take up to three). If you're flying in to SFO or Oakland, I can pick you up at a BART station in either SF or Oakland. Looking forward to the fun! John

I reentered the world of skydiving last year after a 15-year hiatus. My first two AFF jumps were at a small (VERY small) airport (more like somebody's back yard) NE of Pittsburgh, PA somewhere. I think it might have been off of either 8 or 28 a few miles (maybe near Butler?). I'd like to enter it into my logbook for my first two jumps, but I can't remember the name and it seems that it is no longer in business. Are there any veterans up 'er near da Burgh who might be able to fill in this gap in my memory? I remember that my instructor's name was "Schmuck" (are you reading this, Schmuck?) and I also remember that just before I went (1991), there was a guy who survived a double mal and had made the cover of one of those trashy supermarket national tabloids. Does this ring any bells for anybody in the area? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!

Thanks!! I greatly appreciate the info. I'll check out both of them.

Sorry -- I'm in the U.S. (San Francisco). John

Hi all, I'm just off student status and am looking to buy goggles and an altimeter on-line. Can anybody recommend a website with a nice selection that is prompt in delivering the goods? I wouldn't mind picking up a helmet and gloves too, but it would seem to me that I'd be better off getting them somewhere in person where I can try them on first, no? Thanks in advance! John

Hi all, I'm going to be in Honolulu for work (yes, rough, I know..) early next month, so I thought I'd take advantage of being there and check out the wind tunnel. Has anybody been? (or could you point me to some old threads if I missed them?) Is a portable wind tunnel much different from a regular one? I'm still going through AFF, so I'm just looking to practice some basic movements while trying to maintain stability. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks! John

I saw the series, but questioned whether it was worth the 60 bucks. I didn't see that they were all in DVD format, though. Thanks. Do you think it's woth it?

Hi all, Greetings from a Californian newbie. I was reading in one of the threads here that "Breakaway!" is a good watch, especially for newcomers. I've found it available on several websites, but all of them seem to be in VHS format only. Does anybody know if it exists in DVD format? Thanks! John johnsw71@hotmail.com San Francisco, CA