livendive

Wow, first your romance thread and now this...you really HAVE become a pansy! Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I can't say I care about whatever he's packing out front, but damn he's got a lithe little ass. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

You're the one who's had phone sex with the bastard. I haven't even gotten to first base with him. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Awesome student, borderline bad newbie (for being disrespectful) I might make it up there tonight myself. Got a new trailer and want to take it somewhere this weekend. Call me on my cell today (before you go). Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Hey, it took me 10 years to write the damn thing, you can spare 2 minutes to read it! Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

wow.... I wish I didn't know that Trust me, I was neither the first nor the last. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

You haven't seen me fly...I still might be considered a "tourist" Oh, are there night jumps tonight? Gia loves those. Have fun, Dave!

It's true. 10 years ago today I showed up at a dropzone alone. Not a family member or friend knew I was there, so if I chickened out nobody would be the wiser. Having sat through a few hours of classroom training (from D-1312) with one other guy the night before, I was ready for practical exercises. Dave Kron was my jumpmaster, and he put me through the PLF and hanging harness regimen. I geared up in an SOS Strong rig set up for pilot-chute assist S/L, with a Mighty Mack main, 26' LoPo reserve, and Sentinel AAD. We climbed to 3,000 feet in our trusty C-206 and I was fortunate enough to be the second out. Once the other guy had gone, backing out was no longer an option. I got in the door (poised exit from cargo door) and couldn't believe how close the ground looked. I was terrified. "Farther out...farther out...now I want to see a good hard arch....relax.......................and go" I left my senses in the airplane. I didn't black out, but I definitely greyed out. My body screamed "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING??!" Vision returned and I could see the plane, "That's a good thing" I thought, then I realized my feet were blocking part of the view of it. "Shit! Arch!" and just as I thought that & started to act on it, I was flipped over by my opening main and found myself hanging right side up. "Holy shit it opened! OK, line twists - yep, closed end cells - yep, slider stuck part way up - yep....I've got three of the four "minor" things they told me about and I don't care...it opened!" I found it impossible to get drunk that afternoon and repeatedly noticed that I was jumping up and down in the middle of a bar. A week or two later I went back for my 2nd jump. I actually pulled over onto the shoulder of the freeway on my way there and asked myself why I was going back. I told myself that I'd wanted to jump, I'd done it, and I'd survived. If I did it again, I'd be doubling the chances of my dying skydiving. Tempting fate was one thing, and I'd done it...now I was just playing the odds. I couldn't figure out why I was going back, but I merged back into traffic and continued to the DZ to make my second jump. I don't think I did my first freefall until my 8th jump, and it took me like 3 years to make my first 50 jumps. Skydiving scared the hell out of me, and the hook just wasn't set. I couldn't figure out what I liked about it other than it being TOTALLY out of the ordinary. Then, on a 5-way with 3 other newbies and one old-timer, on jump 58 or so, I realized I could fly. Up, down, forward, back, turning, sliding...in that case, up, forward, and sliding sideways all at the same time. I realized, in freefall, that it was like being a kid playing airplane, but for real. If I could put the planet in the back of my mind for a few seconds until it was a more pressing concern, I could relax and enjoy the moment....while flying. That skydive went to hell, and I realized there was no way we were all going to get together. I snuck up on my friend Lora from behind and grabbed her wrist. She looked over at me quickly, not having seen me coming. I shook my head at the rest of the group and swung out in front of her. Her and I had been working on a 2-way (round, open, compressed, open, round, etc) so I figured we'd spend the rest of the freefall just doing that. Mind you I realize now how stupid that was (doing our own thing in the middle of a load that expects us to do something else), but when I went from the round to the open, she realized what I wanted to do, and I actually heard (in addition to seeing) her laugh. We took it too low and she couldn't make it back. I could, but instead I went down and landed in between the sage brush with her so she'd have company walking back. Flying? Laughing when the planet is coming up at 120 mph? Hey, this was something I could get into! Since that day, I've seen and done many things I'd never have suspected. My first 2-stack, a dragplane, an 8-stack, flying, laughing with, and yelling at friends...and hitting Bozo a little aggresively in Lodi . In RW, I remember many, many jumps...playing with the organizers at Perris by acting clueless, 40 some-odd ways in Lodi and Nevada, a sunset 30 way to start a season at my home DZ that held for what seemed like an eternity (and hearing the laughs and "YEAH!"s that carried clearly through the burble above it), and staring about 20' up at the one empty slot in an otherwise perfect sunset jewel . Kiss passes, flip-offs, naked jumps, and funnels galore, and FUN. What else? Hybrids with Tony D., Omar, Steve C. and several others over a bay in Mexico during what had to be the most relaxing week of my life, courtesy of my friend Mike Moore. A few weeks later a bugler played "Taps" during my set-up and landing, as I jumped Mike's rig into his funeral. I remember being torn between laughter and tears as Bozo, George, Kelly and I dumped Jan and her father's ashes on the same jump. I remember numerous night jumps, demo's, and a few "not specifically condoned" jumps. I remember the sit-fly jump that prompted my first real stint on the DL for a shoulder surgery, and the botched hook that benched me for my second surgery (FYI - a 99 at 2.4:1 flies differently than a 500 at 0.5:1 flies differently than a 26' LoPo). Tracking dives, horny gorillas, wingsuit jumps, raft dives, zoo loads, hula hoops, and a very painful 10-way tube in Star, ID. Jumping from a balloon, a helicopter, a glider, and a fair number of different "regular" jumpships. Getting each of my ratings (especially the AFF), fantastic students, bad students, prior students making me proud, prior students trying to kill themselves and nearly succeeding. Hanging on to my ratings even when I was depressed, so I could make that one jump I looked forward to with my daughter. It was worth it.

The Phoenix is fun, but not exactly a place to BS with people. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I've met the first three criteria...and you've crawled around in the aftermath. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Holy shit! You meant that? So tell us all about this "inspiration" guy. Obviously he's gotta get our approval (though it sounds like he's doing well enough so far). Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

So, uh, what was your search criteria on Google? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I was just reading through my first logbook last night and realized my first jump on my own gear was on my 113th jump. That's too long. I once had a student who bought gear before he'd ever made a jump. I think he made 30ish jumps before selling his gear and leaving the sport. That's too short. Get off of student status, get your A-license, then start considering used gear that won't break your bank account. Also, consult your instructors and other experienced jumpers (other than the one trying to sell it to you) before making a decision Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Your poll options are too limited. There was a tib-fib at one of the dz's I was at this weekend. It wasn't reported here and I don't see the value in doing so. Tib-fib and femur are verbs, and low-turns into the ground often prompt people to participate in such activities. I'll report fatalities and life-threatening injuries if appropriate (my dz and I know at least most of the details). Routine injuries I'll usually leave alone unless there's something unique about them that you won't see in a month of jumping at big DZ's/boogies. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I figured your version would include doing it without the velcro gloves. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Offering to grab a towel for her? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Thanks for the offer, but I'm good. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

And how would you know????? hummmmm???? Is there something you need to share with me, do you need to visit GFD's thread????? His crying during movies was a bit of a hint! Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Don't tell JD that. He's kinda sensitive and that would make him cry. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I don't know what the longest song is, but the BEST long song is "From the Cradle to the Grave" by the subhumans. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Did you honestly think you wouldn't get bloated hanging out naked in the Men Only forum? Is your nose running yet? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Maybe you should try singing Aerosmith's "I don't want to miss a thing" Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

awwwwww, be nice to my baby - you'll give him a complex!!! I must have missed something. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

It's cheap too, for the base service, like $30 to put it in and nothing after that. This works as long as the vet who puts it in knows how to get ahold of you (the chip leads them to the vet who should have a record of which animal that chip went in and can thereby get ahold of you). For a higher fee, the microchip company will keep track of your contact information and get ahold of you directly. I've microchipped the last 4 animals I've gotten (2 cats, 2 dogs). I can't think of any reason not to. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

They've got Boddington's on tap. Works for me! Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)