Jewels

Saw it this afternoon and it lived up to the hype. Good flick! TPM Sister #102

Congratulations!! Looks like a fun time was had by all. TPM Sister #102

Who??? *Sigh.* I have a long way to go! Leslie just hit head down and that was it--boom, she had it! Must be nice.

You got to meet some great people! Fantastic instructors . . . and as for the 8- and 6-y.o., you're talking about tunnelmom's kids. They're definitely impressive. We're really fortunate to have all of those people out here at both the tunnel and the dz. I'm glad you enjoyed your stay! TPM Sister #102

Welcome to Colorful Colorado! Enjoy the view! TPM Sister #102

I'll share the tunnel with you LOL--See? It's getting better already!

I can't wait. I love the Jason Bourne movies. So, you're saying it's good, huh? Hmmm, maybe I feel a cold coming on this afternoon. . . . TPM Sister #102

ROFL! I was actually wondering if Jason and/or Brad might be at the dz this afternoon and if so, how many elves I need to replace me at my desk. . . . Not sure that it's a real possibility but it's a good thing you're gonna be gone for a year because I need time to catch up. Okay, realistically, I'm not going to catch up but I need to at least get my A so I can fly with you OUTSIDE the tunnel!!! HD is a marvelous thing. I spent last night thinking "she's in the tunnel working on it and I'm sitting here reading about title policy endorsements." Grrrr. TPM Sister #102

Go easy on Kirk. He's a nice guy and I too wish him a lot of success with the tunnel. I just need to decide to take up RW and make eight other friends with whom I can share that cost! TPM Sister #102

This just gets into the old discussion about pricing and what we pay in the States vs. what others pay in the rest of the world. It's an old debate and in the end, all that matters is whether the customer base can and will support it. Since it's going to be the only option we have for a tunnel that size, they have some room in pricing because the only competition is limited to smaller tunnels. I'm just disappointed. I was expecting it to be more than my tunnel here, but it's well beyond Eloy as well. Like I said, maybe I'm a good target market for the Flexi Pass. TPM Sister #102

Ditto, ditto, ditto--more tunnel time! Little things that you do with your arms and legs can make a big difference. Maybe if you practice some intentional forward and backward movements, you'll get a better feeling for staying put as well. Your instructor can tell you for sure, and they can also give you specific instruction and drills to work on to help with your particular issue. TPM Sister #102

Where can we find details about the Flexi Pass? I didn't see that info online but maybe just missed it. You have out-priced me with your $1,100/hour price, especially considering that air fare, hotel and car rental are also involved if I want to fly in your tunnel. I'm sure it's much less shock to the system for those who do RW and have more people to share the cost, but over $18/minute is steep when I can fly right here for much less. Maybe the Flexi Pass is the answer! TPM Sister #102

Just an update, because Leslie is too modest to say it herself: SHE ROCKS!!! She is completely unsupported for HD in the tunnel and it is SOLID. No more HD torment. Nice job! TPM Sister #102

I haven't had that problem today, but I haven't spent that much time on here, either. Sorry, Squeak. TPM Sister #102

Congratulations! Making the hard choice is sometimes the biggest victory. I hope that in the long run, you'll be glad you did it. I suspect you will. TPM Sister #102

Yeah, and in spite of yourself, you still turn out to be one of the decent ones. Okay, maybe "decent" isn't exactly the right word. . . . TPM Sister #102

The skydivers I know are exceptional people and I think you're right about the privilege of hanging with them. There are exceptions to every rule, of course, but on the whole, I think it's a caring group, too. It NEEDS to be, in *this* sport. (Too bad, Squeak, I still think you're a nice guy. ) TPM Sister #102

My apologies then. Thank you for the clarification. Hey, guys--I am NOT trying to stir the embers at ALL, nor am I trying to buck for SC with this comment. I just wanted to interject that I think the difference is that the religious conservatives who *don't* see the Harry Potter books as inherently evil just aren't going around starting web sites to sing its praises the way the objectors are starting web sites to denounce it. I probably fall into the "religious conservative" category myself, but I've read all the HP books and agree that sometimes you have to take fiction for fiction. I hope no one thinks that the people who are militantly anti-Harry Potter represent all of the conservatives out there. They may just happen to speak the loudest. You know, the old squeaky wheel. . . . Okay, so THAT being said, I had dared to make only one prediction about how it would end, and that was that I thought Harry would OFFICIALLY step in to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. With all the build up in (what year, 4? 5?) about exploring their career options, and then Harry getting a taste of teaching Defense to Dumbledore's Army, I thought he was well-positioned for that post that they couldn't keep filled. I'm not particularly disappointed, but I definitely felt that's the slant with which the books have been written. Apparently, JKR didn't feel the need to consult with me on this matter. Oh, and I wanted the house-elves at Hogwarts to all be given clothes before they chose to fight, but I didn't catch anything in detail about them (other than Kreacher leading the way, that is). Let's see, I also loved that Harry was given the choice as to whether to go back or to go on, and that he deliberately chose his own path and didn't just end up encountering Voldemort. And, finally, I actually liked that some of Dumbledore's weaknesses were exposed. It made him a "real" hero, complete with human frailties and imperfections. I didn't feel that it took anything away from him so much as I felt that it completed the image of him. Just as most of the "evil" characters turned out to be more complex than we thought, so was Dumbledore. I think that's terribly human. TPM Sister #102

I don't know about that, but good luck! I kind of know what you mean, though. I've never been much interested in a regular workout routine, but if it helped in the wind tunnel, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I just need the proper motivation! TPM Sister #102

You know you're desperate if you'll buy THAT stuff. I'm lucky. We have great tap water here. The only thing I liked better about the water in Atlanta was that it was softer than ours is, but I'll take SANITARY over soft ANY day. Edited to add: I didn't see your suggestion for sanitizing it. Good to know SOMEone is thinking! TPM Sister #102

Never EVER drink anything from the Chattahoochie. Oh, no. Blech. That's right up there with the "Families Drink Wastewater" thing on CNN. (I love Atlanta, but water is NOT their strong suit down there.) TPM Sister #102

You could tell your doctor, honestly, that you just want to be able to be more physically active and that you want to be able to do it without risking additional injury to yourself. That would be honest and I don't see a need to specify that "physically active" mean skydiving in particular. Besides, in reality, I suspect that this kind of physical therapy will be beneficial in many ways and not just for this sport. TPM Sister #102

I lost my dad in 1994 and we did not have a good relationship. I used to pray that I would even WANT a good relationship with him because I wasn't interested in making the effort but still knew somewhere inside of me that it was important. In spite of that, I was there as he died and I'm glad, for both of us. You may not be able to repair the injuries of a lifetime (or even 8 years) in the short time he has left, but my suggestion would be to make the effort just to see him. I seriously doubt that you'll regret making the effort, but you very well might regret missing your last chance with him later. TPM Sister #102

Blue skies!

WOW, I'm really sorry to hear you feel that way. I (still) have all of one tandem to my name and have tried to do my AFF Level 1 jump twice, but have missed out both times due to rain. I'm going to get there eventually. In the meantime, I can say unequivocally that having friends there who are being supportive really helps. Will I ever have your jump numbers and expertise? I don't know. But while I can appreciate what you are saying generally about jumping "alone," it also sounds a little hostile to the newbie who could use the encouragement of some friendly faces around. You may not have meant it in a hostile way, but that's not the kind of thing that would make me think your DZ is a friendly one. Maybe you're far enough removed from those first jumps that you've forgotten, but please don't sell it short when people would like their friends to be there. It's still going out of the door of a plane and you're still responsible for saving yourself in the end, even if you do have a couple of instructors along for the freefall. So, WTF--who cares? *I* get it. Edited to add: Sorry, I got distracted. I meant to tell the OP to enjoy the jump! It'll be great, and maybe your gf will become newly inspired to try it herself. If not, the DZ can just be YOUR playground (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, either). TPM Sister #102