sonomatommy

congrats on your baby girl, have 2 of my own, they are the best.

I hope my nerves never go away, like the other poster said it keeps you safe. what helps me is on the ride up i close my eyes and visualize the dive plan, when I think I've got it down, I'll talk to whomever I am Jumping with about the dive plan. the nerves are part of the rush...embrace them, make them work for you, hell if you aren't nervous you aren't normal...but I only have 104 jumps so what do I know

my 4 y/o is a great packing weight

after almost 3 weeks i fnally got back in the air on sun. i just want to say thanks to everyone for making my 100th a jump to remember. Mad John happend to be at the DZ and I was privelaged enough to have him organize the jump...SWEEEET. the jump ended up being a 21 way. Larry shot some great video, thanks Larry. I cooked up some food and of course had plenty of beer for everyone it was a GREAT day in Lodi. HEY FOZZ...thanks for everything bro couldn't have done it without you. and in case you all didn,t know this... LODI FUCKING ROCKS blues tommy

whats the rush. like others have said the sky isn't going anywhere. i to am injured(motorcycle accident) and it is killing me not to jump. i was supposed to do my 100th last weekend...didn't happen. was thinking this weekend but my right hand is still pretty weak, and with a wife and 2 kids i'm not getting on the plane unless i'm sure i can pull all my handles with no problem. but i'll be at the dz on sun. just to hang out, which is also hard...sort of like being at the biggest candy store in the world with no money in your pocket. let it heal bro

hey jon if i show up to do my 100th and your not there...i won't jump. you have really shown me alot and are a great coach, but more importantly, you are a true friend which these days are hard to come by. just wouldn't be the same if you wern't there

it used to be a yzf 600...now it is just a pile of shit

actualy had thick cold weather gloves on because i ride to work at 2 am, just slid to fast and to far...burned right through them.

not to get to into detail i had to lay my motorcycle down at 65 mph yesterday after being cut off by another car, which never even stopped by yhe way. after i stopped rolling and tumbling down the freeway i found myself in the center lane with cars bearing down on me. in my state of shock and confusion i just sort of stood there when out of nowhere i felt someone grab my arm and get me out of the road. with total disregard for his own safety he got me to the center median wher i collapsed. this man called 911 and stayed with me until the medics got there. i never even got his name, but the paramedics said he had seen me go down, stopped his car on the other side of the freeway, jumpde the fence and in their words,"Saved my life" which i have to agree with. then as quickly as he was there he was gone. this happened in san rafael at about 8:30 am on the 14th. i know this is a long shot but if anyone in the marin area knows this man please pm me so i can thank him, i owe him my life. as for my injuries...right leg is hamburger, right ankle and rist sprained, no skin left on right palm other than that...unscathed...fucking miracle.

sorry folks. I guess I should have been a little more clear on my original post. I love my wife and two girls, they are my whole life. My wife knows how uncomfortable, and out of place I feel around my family, not to mention the total lack of respect they show me. So she suggested the DZ for Xmas, to be around people that I am comfortable with and do respect us...even being a newbie. when we told our 3...oops just turned 4 yo her eyes lit up and she started jumping for joy, she just loves it there. anyway y'all have a great Christmas and a safe New Year

***everyone decided for me this is exactly why we are going to the DZ for Xmas. It sounds like you went to a lot of trouble not to mention a lot of expense, yet they decided what was best for you. Who are they to make that decision? I'm with you...FUCK EM!!!!!

actually it was the wifes idea...if you knew my family you wouldn't make a comment like that

As I can't stand to spend more than about 1 min with my "family" the wife and 2 girls and I will be at the Parachute Center in Lodi to spend Xmas with our family there. Bill and Cathy move the tables inside and everyone sits together for good food and cold beer, not to mention a few skydives early in the day, now thats what I call a merry Christmas.

a man is looking for a present for his wife so he goes to the pet store. He asks the owner if he has anything special, the owner says he has this very special parrot named Chet that does tricks, He goes to the back and gets Chet. The man says, "O.K. lets see the tricks." The owner holds Chets left wing up and lights a lighter under it and Chet starts to sing Jingle Bells, then He holds Chets right wing up lites the lighter and Chet starts to sing Rudolph. Amazed the man buys Chet and brings him home. As soon as they get home the man is curious if Chet does anything else...he thinks for a minute...and then holds Chets tail feathers up and lites a lighter under him, as soon as he feels the heat he starts to sing,"Chets nuts roasting on an open fire."

ya taps is very cool on the pipes but Amazing Grace on the pipes gets me every time...reminds me of my dad

2 days ago.did a solo a 2-way and a 3-way...thanks Foz. gotta love the California weather, jumpin 365

id say at least 3 to 4 cases

no it just gets better, especialy if you start jumping solo.

first off...thanks for the job you are doing for our country, some folks may not agree with me in these forums, but i have the utmost respect for all of our servicemen and women. Being a former Marine(peace time) I used to miss the sense of comoradity until I found this wonderful sport. Now I have a great big family called skydivers who all look out for oneanother whether it be in the air our on the ground. So come home soon and come home safe. If you ever need someone to vent on or just talk to feel free to PM me. BLUE SKIES Tommy

when i first got off student status and people asked me to jump, i would politly decline explaining how new I was and wasn't comfortable endangering anyones life but my own. now that I am confident in my own ability it seems harder to find someone to jump with and I usualy spend the weekend jumping solo. My question is were the experienced jumpers trying to help me out and I pissed them off by declining. the TI's and video guys are always willing to jump with me but they are so busy it is usually the last load of the day if I make it that late. what should I do to get more group jumps?

before loading I have to high five my three year, hug the wife and kiss my 5 mo. old on the forehead. the rest is classified info.

am I the only freak or does anyone else have have crazy little things they do before each jump? ( not including the normal gear check)

this is what works for me, although my kids are only 3 and 6 mo. my istructor/friend happens to have a 3 year old girl as I do, they are known as the DZ rat pack. my wife and kids come up evry weekend we pack a lunch let the 3 year olds run around and entertain the tandems waiting to jump with their antics while I do my thing, you just cant ignore your family to skydive, make them part of the family you gain at the DZ. By the way my 3 yo, does an outstanding hard arch all the instructors love it

o.k maybe a wrong choice of words. i know everyone is just looking out for everyone elses safety. looking for a pat on the back maybe...maybe not. i'm sorry you witnessed those accidents i'm sure in time i will to. but for the record i would have never downsized without the approval of my instructor 4000 plus jumps and even with his o.k. i still went to Bill Dause the owner of the dz 30,000 plus jumps who also gave his approval, this isn't something i went into half heartedly. again sorry for the attitude its been a long day. thanks for all your input.

I feel like I'm being interrogated by the fricken cops... hows about "congrats on your "A" or maybe good job buddy. my weight is 160...no gear my mistake on the reserve...damm 5 is right next to the 6 on this keyboard... imagine that.