livendive

My most rewarding tandems have been the elderly, the disabled, the terminally ill, and the terrified. I'd prefer those young and fit enough to do so take a first jump course instead (note: my checking account disagrees with me on this matter). Three weeks ago I took a 91 year old lady who could barely walk with a cane in one hand and an assistant on the other. I lifted her into the plane and carried in from the landing area. She flirted, she flaunted, she ruled. Two weeks ago I took a 78 year old man who had 15 jumps under his belt...the last in 1955. It turned out he'd been petrified on that last jump and had spent the last 57 years embarassed by that. He privately explained to me that with death approaching, he wanted to rid himself of that shame and die knowing he wasn't a coward. I tried to talk him out of it (his perception of cowardice) regardless, but it was far too well developed to be relieved by the words of a stranger. He had a poorly reconstructed knee with limited ROM, a frozen shoulder, and was partially deaf. We opened the door of the 182 a mile and a half early to have time to get out (our Caravan was off supporting another DZ for the weekend). Our converstation under canopy was of liberation and he had tears in his eyes when he thanked and hugged me on the ground. I've taken two different terminally ill students. One was one of our jumpers who developed some disease that I can't remember now. He traded his gear to our DZO for some tandems for himself and his friends in the twilight. The other had been one of my "professors" at a local community college, teaching phys.ed. of all things. He had late stage diabetes or something was missing one leg just below the hip and the other was likely to be chopped off within the next 2 months. Both of these guys died less than 6 months later. But thru those tandems, they still got some nice kicks in at the end. Special tandems are a LOT more work, but only because they're worth it. If we were going to institute a physical fitness test (besides fatties), i'd go the other way with it. "You can run those stairs, do chin-ups and a PLF. Welcome to first jump course." Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Out of curiosity, why are men allowed the 30 extra pounds? I've heard this weight allowance difference at other DZs as well, but I've often wondered why. Is it because women tend to be shorter, thus a larger weight concentration in a smaller area? Assuming you're within weight limits on the gear, the only real problem with heavy students (besides being mroe work) is the fat. I affectionatly refer to my heavier females as "flowers", cuz that fat flows everywhere after opening. It just squishes out below the straps and limits her ability to move. I don't have a hard limit for females, but I'm not a fan past 190. It's pretty rare that I'll take one over 200, and then only if she's taller than average. I've taken one woman at 220, but she was 6' of "able to kick MY ass". Men, I've taken plenty in the 220 to 230 range that weren't particularly fat, and one tall somewhat pudgy guy at 245. The key is the guys can lift their legs, whereas the flowers can't. Our scheduler usually tries to text me before scheduling one outside of norms. Last week, I got a "male, 5'7", 217 lbs?" text, which could theoretically be ok by me if his build is of the short runningback variety (thick but muscular). What I wrote her back was "Age?" and got back a "67". I promptly declined, because by that age many men are going through some "feminization" body changes, i.e. testosterone is fading and taking muscle mass with it. I'm pretty sure that guy was 217 lbs of mostly fat, a male "flower" so to speak. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

All of this except for the goggles. If they ask me if they can put their goggles up, I say yes, but that's uncommon. Moving the leg straps is only necessary on a small percentage of students. Most of the time, loosening the laterals and chest strap make them right as rain. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I can see how you'd view the invention of the internal combustion engine as a fairly significant change. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I wouldn't call permanent physical changes a mere inconvenience. Carrying a baby to term will have lasting effects on a woman's body, many of which are considered negatively. Also, not everyone shares your definition of "human life." A woman can value human life just as much as you while also having a narrower view of what constitutes life. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I think you should have the right to terminate your own life in as humane a manner as possible if you determine that it is the best course of action for your individual circumstances. This certainly doesn't mean that I think you (or anyone) should commit suicide. I also believe you should also be able to pierce and tattoo your body, eat deep-fried, bacon-wrapped twinkies, and do hook turns. That doesn't mean I want you to do those things, but merely that you should have the option. Similarly I think women should generally have the option to clean unwated tissue out their utuer (with reasonable limitations for extreme cases, e.g. when the fetus has reached a point of viability and poses no greater threat to the woman than normal childbirth). Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Usually because someone is paying me to, but sometimes just because it's fun. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Try yelling fire in a theater and then claiming they stampeded by their own choice. Are you honestly arguing that most women who get abortions do so because Planned Parenthood scared them into it, or otherwise compelled them to? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Disagree. I think these incidents are likely becoming less frequent. What's become more common is people carrying portable video cameras (phones). Combining this with a dramatically increased ability to share said videos with the global public has merely made the public more aware of such douchbags. These same guys were cops doing the same things before the smart phone + youtube age, they were just able to get their rocks off with less visibility. Now that they can't get away with it so easily, I bet there are fewer acting out except in circumstances they trust to be discrete. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I read that individual experiences vary greatly, and not just on the skill of the doctor or the pain tolerance of the patient. I had mine done two years ago and it wasn't that big of a deal. The actual procedure was more funny than anything else, as it was a friend of mine doing it, and he burned himself with the cauterizer trying to make small talk to fill a lull in the conversation. Afterwards I had like 36 hours of significant pain, another day or two of moderate, and then just occasional aches for a week or so. On the other hand, a good friend of mine told me still had significant pain 6 months after the fact...like a dull "kicked in the balls" feeling most times he has sex. I was surprised by one aspect of it. I expected some mild negative effects in the bedroom afterward, but figured the positives would outweight that. What I actually got was quite the opposite. Apparently I never realized that the possibility of unexpected pregancy was always in the back of my mind. Once that threat was gone, it was very, umm, liberating! Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Preposterous! Of course these are the guys who think they should be legislating what we can and cannot do with our naughty bits. Nothing surprising there. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I posed this question to my fiance, specifically for her feminine perspective, without telling her my opinion. She initially agreed with the majority here, till I changed the story to make it between her and I, at which point she agreed that if the sex continued after she woke and and stayed with me (and presumably had sex) later this week, then it probably wasn't rape. Personally, I think consent can be implied. We don't need a specifically signed authorization for access, but we do have to stop whatever we're doing if said consent is ever removed. If I'm having sex and get up to grab chocolate sauce, I don't have to ask again when I come back whether it's still ok. And if we're having sleepy sex and one of us falls asleep, the other one isn't guilty of rape at the first contact after loss of consciousness. If her and I have sex, and remain in bed aferwards, cuddling naked, and 15 minutes later I'm ready for another go, I'd take consent as implied until she says no or pulls away, and she just agreed with me. If sex with someone who's fallen asleep is always rape, then kissing or fondling someone who's asleep is always sexual assault. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Where do you draw the line. Is kissing someone while they're sleeping an assault? Or does it depend on your relationship with them? What about waking them up with fondling? Blues, Dave Well, if you look at the definition a couple posts up, I think it depends on the reasonable belief about consent existing or not. I would think that waking up a woman who I spent the night with by kissing or fondling would not be assault. Spending the night in intimate contact would imply consent, and unless revoked, that consent should still exist. If my backyard neighbor (who I have only a "neighbor" relationship with) was asleep in her yard and I woke her that way... That would create a problem. I can't reasonably believe that consent has ever existed. I agree. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

He pretty clearly has a very poor understanding of both female anatomy and the different forms of rape. So why the hell is he opining on the subject and why should anyone trust him to vote wisely on such matters? Strong convictions based on misinformation are still wrong. At a minimum, a politician should understand what he considers the major points of his own platform. Personally, I appreciate a person who's not afraid to say "I don't know" to a question outside their area of expertise. Our political arena would be far less retarded if candidates could be similarly honest. (Yes, I understand the futility in wishing for honest politicians) Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Where do you draw the line. Is kissing someone while they're sleeping an assault? Or does it depend on your relationship with them? What about waking them up with fondling? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Information was shared with him and he shared it with other people, but as far as I know, the original possessors maintained access to it the entire time. So the information's value may have been reduced by virtue of increased supply, but I don't see where Assange "stole" it. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I think you guys watched a different video than me. In the one I see, the deceased is walking away from the cops when they start shooting, not towards them. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

If the minimum wage were indexed to the cost of housing (annual or biannual updates maybe), that raise in housing would trigger a corresponding increase in minimum wage. Also, I'm not talking about a minimum wage earner being able to buy a house or anything. I said a working couple (two minimum wage earners) might be able to afford a small apartment near their work. Right now, the only people who can live on minimum wage are those who live with parents or a whole bunch of family friends. Arbitrary raises obviously won't fix that. My proposal (that I'm arguing in favor of, while not being entirely convinced) is that rather than arbitrary, the minimum be variable, indexed to the cost of living. Given that the entire goal of having a minimum wage is to establish some subsistence level income, it seems like a logical match. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Housing prices generally fluctuate with the median, or maybe the mean, but not so much with the absolute minimum. While there would surely be a "trickle up" effect from raising minimum wage in high land-value areas, the bulk of the change (in percent and real dollars) would be at the very bottom of the scale. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

You can read here which dz.commers think they should be exempt from taking a bite, or they only want a nibble after the "other" people eat most of the sandwich. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

A curious thought that just occurred to me, no I haven't thought it through yet. What would be the positive and negative impacts of having a variable minimum wage indexed to the local cost of living. It seems to me that there would be a short-term spike in urban sprawl, but at some point things would stabilize and a working couple might be able to afford a small apartment near their work, no matter where that job was. A sizable percentage of relatively unskilled labor positions would move out out of the cities, but the more highly compensated folks that stayed would still require retail and service people around them. There would probably have to be some controls in place to keep employers from abusing employee commutes ("Your office is in Redding, but we expect you to commute to a job site in San Francisco for the next six months, with no travel time or mileage reimbursement") Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I started doing that same thing around 500... I know some people like the verbiage, but I just didnt see the point apart from milestones or extremely memorable skydives. I mostly do working jumps, and I generally write jump number, date, and location, then have my student write whatever they want about the jump. Some of their entries are truly entertaining. If I'm just playing, I either forget to log or I write something brief like "2217 - tracking zoo". Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I see a totally different ideological divide. Some (most) people vote for whichever party is promising them the most swag. Others vote for whomever supports their position on a one or a few key issues (religion, gun control, etc). Personally, I'm in the income bracket least likely to benefit from either guy. I assume that either way, a bunch of money is going to be taken from some people (including me) and given to others. I don't really qualify as rich or poor, but if the options are: - - - - - take from the rich and give to the poor, or - - - - - take from the poor and give to the rich I'm strongly in favor of the former. This position is tempered by my social considerations, which I would mostly describe as pro-freedom. Fortunately, the same guys who agree with my general economic stance are also more supportive of individual freedom. Unfortunately neither group really lives up to their billing, but one does seem a little more compassionate and tolerant, so I'll probably go with them. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

A self-centered person would vote for the candidate most likely to boost his bottom line. You know, like 90+ percent of Americans these days who sell their vote to the highest bidder. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Tard Retard Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)