Baksteen

1) Not just no, but HELL no! Every relationship is/should be based among other things on respect. On the other hand, if a woman treats ME like shit (it has happened) I'm outta there. 2) Yes. Usually from women who are like a sister to me. 3) Not to my knowledge, and definitely not on purpose. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

: 3 : 2 Took Brian's canopy course at Teuge. It was awesome and I learned a lot, but I got to make only three jups because I scratched myself off two loads due to high winds. "This is where the upjumper sits down to watch the experienced guys get even more experienced" 1 for making my best landing ever [brag]1 because I was awarded the "encouragement prize" at my home DZ [/brag]. Beer paid by proxy as I was off to another DZ attending the course.. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Why? Skydivers never have any money or time for you except when mugging beer and fags off you. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

"Flop" being the operative word there "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

It depends on how you sell it. I'm a lab technician or "research associate" and I put skydiving under "hobbies and interests" emphasising the fact that there's rules to adhere to by mentioning the official sounding licence number. Additionally I listed some of the impressive sounding (to whuffo's) things under volunteers' work. In the interview with a mediator I spent a lot of time answering questions about skydiving and the licences. Of course I emphasised saftey, responsibility and risk-assesment, having carefully chosen the anecdotes I would share beforehand, just in case. In the second interview, with the company itself, the subject didn't come up so I didn't mention it either. I got the job. A few months later, when i actually started the job, I had to tell a safety official about my medical condition. She gave me a look and knee-jerked "oh, then you cannot work at all with hazardous subst-.." I cut her off with saying "I can skydive with it" to which she responded with "oh.. then there will be no problem I guess.." "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

He probably didi "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Medically I am of little use. But I can keep (and have kept) the two-legged cattle wandering about merely to watch out of the way of the ambulance. I can also gather the gear of everyone who has dropped it to tend to the person and put it in the van so noone makes off with it in the confusion. Lastly, I can pick up any stuff the ambulance personnel has dropped when tending to the victim once the ambulance has left so the four-legged cattle wont eat any plastic wrappers. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

So..you steer in freefall using those stiff strips of fabric on the side of your coveralls? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Why not simply PM Bill and discuss your issue with him? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

The way he presents it reflects poorly on skydiving as a whole, but in fact he's only talking about whuffo's who use fundraising as an excuse to do something they'd otherwise never do. He's also got issues with sponsor money going to the "entry fees" and with the amount of money it costs the healthcare system if someone should get injured. At least, that's how I read it. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

So.. did they confiscate any hooknifes? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Sound advice, except Candles are a good idea too, as are her favourite flowers (unless they're white lillies - in that case I'd go with roses). The bubble bath the OP is talking about upthread is a bit too much, I think.. It might be the wrong occasion to seem to imply wanting to have sex. See how she reacts to the other stuff and then just wing it. EDIT: Then again, following the women's advice might be a better option... "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Er..Kids Today don't remember "The Lady and the Tramp"? That's sad "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Square = Scare "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

+1 An AAD I already owned, but my parents were actually happy to contribute towards (in this case) my new main canopy. Incidentally the 'cheaper' skydiving paraphernalia (logbooks, gloves, a single jump ticket etc) make great gifts to ask for Christmas. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

I'm not a parent, but yes. However, I'd also make it clear that that was the last major present they'd be getting for the next, oh.. ten years or so. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

A poor taste in men? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Next can of worms: AFF student #1 to AFF student #2: "Dude, you still jumping that Manta? You really need to downsize - they normally suspend TWO people under a canopy that size " Besides, I read the thread but I still can't see the reason for such small tandem canopies - sure you'll get better penetration, but what about the other side of the coin, a lot more forward speed during a landing on a no wind day? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

There is - it's called "Safety and training". You just have to learn to filter out the good advice and ignore the noise generated by upjumpers like me who don't know what they are talking about, but speak up anyway "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Good thing you're a doctor then - you can prescribe yourself some "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Posting on topic (I can do that too, you know), I just viewed the video of my fir-..my pre-second landing. I remember that at the time I got nervous by the ground coming up, deciding to "rather flare early than late". This time I went "holy shit" in front of my PC together with Batgirl (I didn't have radio) and the camera guy in the film. Thank god for elongated steering lines... Somewhat later in my career I was assisting an instructor on the LZ. In the end I turned my back and closed my eyes until everyone had more or less touched down, with or without flare. Funny how history keeps repeating itself "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

I can't resist poiting out that your username sounds similar to the name of a certain AFF student who "watched his chute go bye-bye" and the fact that the "L" and "N" keys are very close together. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Partially playing devil's advocate there. Thing is, especially back then perception and safety got confused all the time. I'm not specifically talking about skydiving there, but even the most common and simple everyday stuff you can imagine. Patients shouldn't watch TV, but on the other hand they shouldn't read books either. Light flashes, loud noise should be avoided..... you name it. In respect to those listed in the quote, yes. Again, IMO the best approach is to discuss it with the S&TA and have them help you broach the subject to the others that really need to know. If the rest of the jumpers, IMO that's up to the person to decide. That is actually a very tricky question. Raised beforehand to whom? For the sake of argument, let's say you're staff, but do not have an AFF rating. Should you be informed immediately as the person signs up for AFF, or should it be limited to the AFFI's, at least until the person has completed lvl 7? Besides, there are a lot of variables that influence the patient's case. For instance, the body after a while gets used to medications, side effects may disappear - including the slower reflexes. Having once upon a time had tose effects is completely irrelevant. So why mention them? I think that a neurologist may be more qualified to determine whether someone suffering from epilepsy is able to skydive then an instructor who might know about epilepsy but has never come in contact with it. That is, concerning the epilepsy specific factors only. Obviously someone who is triggered by stress will be at significantly higher risk than someone who is triggered by, oh - I don't know, sounds above 10.000 Hz. I'm not sure how to word the following, but suffice it to say that a large part of the reason why I decided to tell the DZ before signing up for the FJC was simply common decency - it didn't feel right to have people assume responsibility over me without them being in full posession of the facts. However, despite still taking medication and having no intent of stoppping, I do not consider myself an epilepsy patient anymore. In fact I'm convinced that I can do just about anything without any added risk...then again, every case of epilepsy is unique - the 'grey area' between the definite diagnosis of Yes and No is huge. There are almost more exceptions than rules. That is one of the reasons that what I'm saying is based on myself more than any general knowledge - I too am hardly an expert. Sorry, wasn't clear there - while using the analogy between skydiving and whuffos, I was not specifically talking about skydiving with epilepsy. Just trying to make people understand the frustration one feels at knee jerk reactions. I agree, as far as skydiving is concerned. I know. And I'm gonna get on that plane as often as I can - so the eff'ers can watch from the ground as I'm doing a fourway with the less narrowminded people. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

But they won't let me "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

First, let me apologise for the enourmous hijack this will become: Sorry. Popsjumper, I have actually thought about it extensively. I was merely pointing out that 'scary' medical issues are not always an insurmountable obstacle. When we're not in possession of the facts t's all too easy to jump to a conclusion. Who are the "we" who found out? The staff? S&TA? DZO? The rest of the jumpers? On the other hand, how much medication is she taking? Which kind? How long? Are there side effects? What are her triggers? How long ago was her last seizure? what kind of seizures does she have? Without knowing these facts we can't even say whether it's even necessary that she talks about it. I made a post about my actions and motivations here. While I choose to be open about it and would advise other people not to hide any medical conditions at least to their S&TA or equivalent, I certainly can understand why people would choose to do so. You know how some whuffos react when they find out about skydiving: "What? You crazy MOFO!!" You know how annoying that is, having to explain over and over again that you're not suicidal, that it's fun and whatever. They react to the Hollywood-generated stereotype of skydiving without having any relevant knowledge of the subject. Now imagine that people try to "protect" you from yourself. They watch out for you or treat you like a small child, since the only thing they know about (in this case) epilepsy is that "those people" will start shaking uncontrollably at completely unpredictable times. You'll encounter this attitude at every level - including those who should know better, like some medical professionals.. Would you want people to view you that way? I know now that most people won't, but that fear is still there everytime I 'confess' having epilepsy. And thats with the last seizure in early 2002. However close I am with the person, however much I respect them, part of me is always afraid that their behaviour towards me will change. Some skydivers, for instance, will be convinced I am a safetyhazard in the air, both to myself and any other person on the load and therefore refuse to be on the plane with me. That has been a major worry for me, the first year I jumped. So why fess up over the net? Finding out I'm not the only one has helped me tremendously. Maybe telling my story in turn will help another person or at the very least will decrease knee-jerk reactions...and like I said, people are more understanding than I initially thought, most do not think any less of me after they found out. If only I'd known this sooner.... EDIT: The prejudice about epilepsy was especially a problem in the bad old days - like the eighty's.... "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom