Jewels

Hi! Sounds like we're in about the same place, jump number-wise! Good luck with your progression. There's an active thread in the General Skydiving Discussions forum that deals with your question: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2934772;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread You'll probably have a lot of people telling you to wait on gear and that's a good idea, but I understand the need to research! TPM Sister #102

Aww, happy birthday! I hope it was a great one and you did something fun and decadent. TPM Sister #102

When my dad was terminally ill, he would say that he wasn't afraid of death itself; he was just afraid of the process of dying. I can understand that. I also have a strong faith and I'm comfortable with the concept of death (as much as you can be, anyway). I am just in no hurry to experience it! TPM Sister #102

Umm . . . takes one to know one. You're perfect for each other in that "no fear" sort of way. TPM Sister #102

Nicely said. A lesser man would've handled that differently. TPM Sister #102

Would going to the mall be considered getting out. I don't have to look too far to see the kind of people I've described. I'd be harder pressed to find some wearing work pants with a belt, with their shirt tucked in, looking like they are about the business of actually doing some work. It's not an attitude, it's a life observation. Here's another one. It seems that there are quite a few young white kids who are wanna be gangsta rappers. They look and act just as silly. Try a different mall--or better yet, a college campus or an office complex. I went to law school with plenty of people who wouldn't fit your mold. Just because you can find bad examples doesn't mean there aren't plenty of excellent examples out there. TPM Sister #102

Aw, Lisa, I'm so sorry. It will get better. I'm pulling for you all the way. It will be such an incredible freedom to have this all behind you. Don't give up ground you've gained!

So, was day 6 any better? I know there will still be plenty of hard ones ahead but I hope today was a little easier. TPM Sister #102

Those in the forefront of the NAACP are always playing the race card. After the Civil War every black was promised forty acres and a mule. It didn't happen. If it had I am sure that they would have known what to do with it. Well, because it didn't happen, we have the 'You owe us' mentality thrown in our faces constantly. The majority of those who demand the reparations wouldn't shutup if they were paid. They wouldn't turn the opportunity to their advantage and actually turn it into a productive living. They'd squander it and start screaming that it just wasn't enough. It's been close to 150 yr. since the Civil War and 50 yr. since the start of the civil rights movement, yet there are thousands, maybe millions who are still milking the victim role for all that they can get. When you have parents and peers who project the attitude that being smart and excelling academically is just too white, why should we continue to make an effort, when they won't. This attitude transfers to the street. Who the hell wants to hire someone who has their hair tied up in knots, which you know hasn't been washed in weeks, or months, walking around with a pair of pants 5 sizes too big, having to constantly use one hand to hold them up, their underwear showing, and strutting around with some sort of gangsta shuffle that dares you to challenge them about their stupidity. Yea, it's a cultural thing. WOW. You have really, wildly mistakenly described a lot of black people I know--psipike02, for one. Stereotypes are dangerous. If your goal is just to be offensive, well played. If you really believe everything you wrote, you need to get out and meet more people. Someone, somewhere, will fit the profile you drew. For the many more who don't, I'm sorry to hear that this kind of attitude is out there. TPM Sister #102

Awww, I like to see people get old. I'm right behind 'em! Happy Birthday!!! TPM Sister #102

As always, this could be a long list but in particular I want to mention how much I appreciate psipike02. Thanks for the tight hold on my mental grippers! TPM Sister #102

You can DEFINITELY do this! You're a strong woman--much stronger than the nicotine. Keep going! TPM Sister #102

I don't think you're misinterpreting the previous posts. I think a serious discussion about preferential treatment based on race should be handled without all the hostility and certainly without the stereotyping, even here in SC. I'm about as pasty white as I can get and I don't have a collective sense of guilt about anything but I have to say that posts like some of the ones we're starting to see really work against improving interracial relations. If we assume that the question about race is pertinent to dog fighting at all, I really think the manner of putting forth the argument is paramount. I'm not inclined to listen to someone's position when it's set out in those particular, angry terms. Let's just say that all it does for me is to strengthen the position of the other side. Differing opinions, even when they are offensive, are okay to have but they need to be set forth appropriately. TPM Sister #102

I'm really impressed. That's hard work and I think it's great that you're doing it. Hang in there!!

Absolutely ADORABLE! What a sweetie! Seeing the doctor is a good idea. You have to be able to live with that little love bug. What a face! TPM Sister #102

Thanks. I was just curious. And gas is STILL expensive here, too.

Okay, I'm gonna keep being nice to you, then. TPM Sister #102

Tangent (but related to costs of living in Spain)-- I've heard the housing market there is expensive right now and the government is looking at offering subprime mortgages to help first-time buyers who otherwise would have to rent. Is this what you're seeing? TPM Sister #102

Shut up. Seriously? Who do you know? TPM Sister #102

No fair keeping your own thread alive! Wait--now I've gone and contributed to this mess. See what you made me do? TPM Sister #102

Sometimes it's best just to make a decision and pull out the stops to get it done! Way to go! TPM Sister #102

. . . or at an airplane. I can't look up at one without wondering what its altitude is, and I can't ride in one without thinking about getting out. TPM Sister #102

A whole MONTH?! A week's too long. Maybe we need a tunnel withdrawal condolences thread. It gives me hives just THINKING about being away that long. TPM Sister #102

That's so exciting! Go for it! TPM Sister #102

Ohhhhh. So are we (CO) on your four-week extravaganza?