rnicks

Thanks for the tips. I forgot all about that google street view. I'm actually not all that upset about moving. I married knowing this was gonna happen. I'm upset to be moving to the middle of nowhere......errr I mean Kansas! Oh, and btw, Kansas most certainly is not west. I grew up in Seattle. That's west!

For whatever superior being I managed to piss off, it looks like I will be moving to Wichia in a few months. (my husband was reassigned) I've been studying maps for weeks but am having difficulty looking for housing since I've never been there. I'm a nurse and would ultimately like to be close to work. It looks like the only hospital is Via Christi which is middle Wichita. My husband needs to be close to McConnell AFB which looks to be southeast. Google says theses are 25 min from each other. Given traffic, does this really mean 45 min? Is somewhere in the middle OK? It looks to be in the city, but I have no idea of the area. If anybody has any ideas on where I can focus my housing search given the above two locations, that would be great. I also would like to know areas to stay away from. I've heard Andover and Derby are good locations, but they look to be a bit far from the hospital. We don't have any kids yet, so school systems are not a factor. I know this is a long shot given that most people have probably never even heard of Wichita , but any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Wrong. First off, skydivers are just people. And in any group of people you will find vast differences in personalities. Kind, mean, loud, quiet, harsh, timid, funny, stoic...ect. Just because one chooses to partake in skydiving activity does not mean their basic personality make up changes. Although life experiences certainly plays a large role on personality development from birth, research shows personality is predetermined during fetal development. For you to expect one to change based on jump numbers is ludicrous. Sencond, the point the OP was trying to make, was that the AFF's may have believed he was a student, not someone with 2000 jumps. And certainly you would not argue that students should be treated respectfully and nurtured during their progression rather than scolded.

Eeeeek!! Ever since you posted a pic of yourself a few years ago, I've wanted to meet ya! Seriously though, I'd love to jump with you. Wsing is a bit slow at zhills lately though. I've been doiong a ton of solos.

Fear of hitting the tai is not an excuse to slow down the exit. If there is any question of skill of the ws pilot, then they should refrain from jumping with bigger groups until they are confident of their skills.

I was thinking to myself that no, I probably wouldn't want that on my gear. Then I read your response and totally forgot I had one of your stickers on my helmet.

So, I fly often and mostly stare out the window for the entire flight out of boredom. I'm use to seeing many other planes in the air. However, a few months ago, one passed under us at a distance of less than 500 feet. My husband, who is a pilot (airforce, not commercial) thinks I probably miss judged the distance as this is highly unlikely. Well, last night the exact same thing happened. At cruising altitude, another large plane passed DIRECTLY under us at a 90 degree angle at no more than 500 feet. Now, I am inclined to believe my husband as he knows a thing or two about it. However, I just can't let it go. I know what I saw! I've been on enough jumps to be able to judge distance. So, is this something that ever really happens? Or is my husband right? I realize that it is highly unlikely but I really believe it happened.

I don't know what the ideal number should be, but 75 jumps seems like more than enough. I've done a few rodeos and quite frankly, they were mostly boring with nothing to do do. I don't see where the 'advanced jump' comes into play. You sit there with nothing but time to look at your altimeter. 4-way is much more distracting and poses a greater threat to the new jumper.

I'm pretty sure that involves responding to my texts/messages I haven't heard from you in like 2 weeks!

That's cuz I hang around you.

That is so utterly sad and disgusting. Our country is in soooo much trouble in a few years. don't worry he's from Canada Oh phew! Crisis adverted!!

That is so utterly sad and disgusting. Our country is in soooo much trouble in a few years.

Maybe this time there might be somebody on it from Wisconsin?

No, it is a tandem drogue, slow mo it and you can see the tandem passenger in white. Ah, now I see, thanks. Hard to imagine though his first jump back would be with a tandem. Either way, really nice story.

Nice story! Was that a premature at 4:25?

I'm not sure if this has been suggested before, but it might be helpful to have a forum dedicated to newer jumpers. Kinda like how basejumper.com does. I get extremely tired of reading snarky remarks made at newer jumpers who are asking questions. (albeit, the same questions over and over) Lots of people like giving the new guys advice and some experienced jumpers like to read it. If there was a separate forum for such discussion, then the people who tire easily at this type of conversation wouldn't frequent that forum, hence reducing some of the complete crap that is given to new jumpers on here. (I recently read a post by a longtime member to a newer jumper that said: "read more and post less" The new jumper's post count was 2. TWO!!)

Actually, unlucky for her, her sister in not a match. She is an "almost perfect match" (quoting what the media says) which is not good at all. The sister is likely at least an 8/10 but probably a 9/10. That may sound good, and the media is hyping it up to make it sound great, but trust me, it's not. She is going to have a much rougher course and a significant longer recovery to a process that is already a nightmare. The mortality rates are significantly much higher with unmatched donors. It is MUCH better to have a MUD (matched unrelated donor) than a MMRD (mis-matched related donor), which is unfortunately not the case here. She likely couldn't find a matched donor. Which is why you should donate!!

I actually don't know anything about the donors. There are laws in place to protect their privacy. In fact the donor and the recipient are not allowed to communicate for one year after the transplant. That is of course if it's an unrelated donor. We also do lots of related donor transplants. Last night I did a transplant on a 73 year old with donated cells from her twin sister! Yes, that is a rare situation. The younger the donor the better. The engraftment period is sooner, less infections, and less incidence of GVHD. However, there are tons of people looking for matched donors. It's much better to have an older donor than not one at all, as it is likely their last chance and only option. ETA: The donor and recipient are allowed to write letters anonymously during the first year. After that, they can both sign forms and be allowed to contact one another.

Are you sure? I don't think you are over 60!!

Very true. I also try to encourage people to sign up for to be a bone marrow donor, although it is a bigger commitment. Most people still think that the bone marrow is aspirated out of the hip. Although that still happens, it is quite rare. It is now a simple procedure that can be done peripherally. I encourage anybody who is interested to check out: http://marrow.org/Home.aspx

Good for you! As a bone marrow transplant nurse, I infuse blood on a daily basis. There is such a HUGE need. I try to encourage everybody to donate every 8 weeks if eligible. I appreciate your kindness!

I can't even imagine if that was me. To be be pulled out of your car by gun point? That's ridiculous.

Well, maybe they work better if you actually put them on the cats. Good luck! The collars didn't work for my cats either. I got here a few days ago and can still here the cat's screams in my head! It was an incredibly long and grueling trip. I think they would disown me if they could. Thanks everybody for the advice! Next time, I'm shipping them.

Thanks for the update! I actually just finished loading up the rental truck and will be on the road tomorrow at 4am! The cats are already starting to freak. I wound up buying one large carrier so they can be together instead of separate. I did buy some of those collars you mentioned so I'm bummed to hear they didn't work for your cats. This may be one long drive!