kmills0705

Just registered for Carolina Fest - so looking forward to it! See you all in about 6 weeks! Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

:5:0 Great weekend. Made four fun jumps (put out some students on the way up) and then put out a student on a Cat D that was just phenomenal. I still can't believe they pay me to have this much fun! Went on a tracking jump for one of our jumpers 100th jump and had a great time. Way too much fun! Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

I wonder what would happen if she got Wii Active?! I love both my Wii Fit and Wii Active! Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

:1:0 Just got in one jump today after coming home from a cruise in the Bahamas. I needed an air bath and got it. Next weekend I plan on being a jumping fool!!!! Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

I voted for him because based on looks I think is definitely hotter than everyone else left in the running! Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

Why get citizenship if you are so opposed to living there? It doesn't make sense. If Amsterdam is so appealing and this is not the love of your life, then move there and get your own place. I can not fathom why someone would move in with someone they didn't think they would end up together for the long run. Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

I worked at Indiana University... we started with 6 weeks Paid Time Off (total of vacation + sick) then we had 11 days paid vacation on top of that. Once I was there for 5 years I got 8 weeks PTO. Why did I leave there again?! Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

I answered "I don't know what a pole smoker is"... then googled it - which may not be a good idea at work. Now I will have to answer it based on my discovery Leave it to Deedy!!!! Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

+1 I love it and have been getting since first issue. I think it will grow and evolve, but love it! Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

Ewwwww! That is gross! Coffee and oatmeal for me... on weekends its usually a piece of fruit or yogurt on the way to the dz. (I also thought the ultimate breakfast referred to something else as my boyfriend refers to morning nookie as breakfast. ) Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

I am a skydiver (before becoming a mother) and I really wish I could read your post but looking at the length made my head hurt. Give me a condensed version or specific question. Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

$76 for a 20 second delay? Just to be clear, this is a solo freefall from a Cessna with a jumpmaster watching you from the plane, right? If that's the case, that is very steep, and on high end of what you'll pay at any DZ. Just as a mattter of economics, you should jump at the less expensive place. I know the issue of 'home dz' has come up, but you can't be expected to subsidize their high prices so they can stay in business. If the difference were closer, within $20, I'd say stick with your home DZ, but those prices are way off, and nobody should be surprised that you're not willing to pay one of the highest prices I've ever heard for a 20 second delay, especially when there's a more reasonbly priced DZ across town. Go and get your license at the cheaper place, and then you can return to the other DZ to spend some money on fun jumps. What do they charge for a fun jump anyway? Who watches a 20 second delay from a plane?! That's just not possible to give decent accurate feedback. I would worry if that were the case and spend the extra money so you have someone teaching you and in the air with you. My guess is the $39.00 is about $20.00 for rig rental, $5 to the S/L I and $14 for the lift? That sounds ridiculously cheap. I just need to know what you are getting for that $39. Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

Awwww... so cute and such a proud Pappa! My two girls were good babies and I honestly loved the wee hours of the morning where everything was still and quiet and it was just me and the little one rocking back to sleep. Daddy didn't have the necessary equipment to be up in the middle of the night. Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

Didn't make one... didn't give one... will have to put off to another day... my man is in Brazil until Tuesday. Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

0:0:0 Safety Day was great for us. We had about 50 people on a cold rainy day. I also presented the topic of avoiding canopy collisions, canopy safety in general and what to do and not do should you have one. I feel like USPA stopped at How to avoid and should have took it to the next level of stressing how to handle one if it does happen. A topic also very near and dear to my heart. It was a good day. :) Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

What are you doing? Who's got the margaritas to go with my fajitas?! Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

Sad. I always thought he was a cutie back in the 80's. Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

Thank Rstanley. He's the one who found it. I am awesome.... lol I second that! Hey, I just booked a cruise to the Bahamas - last minute decision to get away. I don't really care that there aren't any dz's. I am all about the scuba diving when I am in a tropical place. Cruising on Carnival the first week in April. I can't wait!!! Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

There wasn't an option for AFF at the time at Skydive New England in Lebanon, Maine. Back then they had just a little 182. Boy has that placed changed. My static line instructor was Mel.... Gosh I wish I could remember his last night. H something maybe. Anyhow... some of us didn't need two instructors to hold our hands. Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

I am going to ask for more information.... I believe it is important to look at PROBLEMS and find SOLUTIONS - not to just make policies that make people "Feel good". Can you tell me examples of how this piss-poor job is a real problem (I know of problems at my home DZ working with students, but the AFFIs I don't think are on the top of the list). I can honestly say that the AFFIs I work with are great. Each has a personality, and flaws, but they all do a good job. Some are younger, some are older. Some have tons of tandems, some are weekend fun jumpers. So lets look at fatalities, per USPA: 1998 - 44 1999 - 27 2000 - 32 2001 - 35 2002 - 33 2003 - 25 2004 - 21 2005 - 27 2006 - 21 2007 - 18 2008 - 30 2009 - 16 HOW MANY OF THESE WERE STUDENTS (AFF STUDENTS, NOT TANDEM)??? I went to this site:http://www.uspa.org/USPAMembers/Safety/AccidentReports/tabid/81/Default.aspx and noticed the fatalities for people with less than 100 jumps are few and far between. I read each one... I see no smoking gun that the system is all that broken other than CANOPY CONTROL - which is not an instructor shortcoming but system shortcoming in AFF... (No dedicated canopy control jumps, no dedicated canopy control lesson plans... Just something that the instructor/student do post freefall). This tells me things/instructors are no better or worse then they ever have been... Maybe slightly better since membership/jump numbers have gone up most years other than the last few... And this is coupled with the fact aggressive skydiving canopies for people well past their AFF has become a leading cause to offset better gear. Can you point to an increase in incidents with jumpers with under 25 jumps where the AFFIs have control, or incidents post 25 jumps where AFFIs have clearly been negligent in teaching something (as opposed to the student trying to continue to learn, you can lead a horse to water, but drinking is.....) Ok, so give me details to support your claim. (I may or may not dispute them, but I will learn from them). Canopy control is part of each and every AFF jump. There are freefall dive flows and canopy dive flows whichboth must be completed and passed before advancing to next AFF level. If someone did kick ass in freefall but totally blew the canopy dive flow they are repeating the jump. I was trained by Bram and he stresses the skydive is NOT over when the canopy opens. Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

It's because the bartender is usually a man, honey.

Kinda proves you men are superficial and we aren't. And I think women tip better than men in general. At least sadly to say it seems that way. As I said I have never worked in this industry so pure speculation. Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

I DIDN'T WRITE THIS! But I agree. That being said on average per beer I give $1+change. so if it were say $2.50 I would give $1.50 per drink if it were a simple draft. Not for mixed drink it's $2+change. If there is food than the usual %15. Long story short, tip well tip often.[/reply So... just out of curiosity (and I have never worked in the food industry in my life)... why do the bartenders get upwards of 60% tip but the person serving you a meal only gets 15%. This defies logic to me. Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

I don't think that's reasonable. Experience and currency are experience and currency. We either trust the signatures on a person's logbook or we don't. This is little but economic protectionism and bullying on the part of the USPA. It's chickenshit like this that makes people resent the USPA. Personally, and this ties in with what KMills posted, I think that's a bit on the stiff side for people with only a moderate amount of time and money, especially those who jump at a small Cessna DZ. So, its not uncommon knowledge that I am a newly rated AFF Instructor. I have been a static line instructor for years and have taught countless first jump courses and have put out at least 250 static line progression students (probably more). Looking at my numbers and years in sport are confusing. I made my first jump in 1994. Made 7 and stopped. Then in 1997 I went through FJC and jumped through 2000 when I did the marriage/kids thing. I had around 300 jumps at that time. I started jumping again in 2007. I received my static line I in 1999 and spent a lot of time time teaching FJC. When I started back in this sport I said this time I am jumping for me. No students. I don't need the money to jump (never did). But wouldn't you know... I went through the static line instructor course and earned my rating back and starting working with students again almost immediately. I LOVE this sport and I am passionate about teaching students. Teaching them correctly and taking the time to do so. Back to going through the AFF I course last year. I was scared and nervous and doubted myself. I took the course with Bram and as we went through the precourse jumps and I was the one learning I gained a lot of knowledge and became confident of my skills. I KNOW Bram would not have passed me if he didn't feel I was capable and setting out to be a good AFF I. With all that said I dropped about 1,000.00 to take the course (maybe a little more but that is ballpark). Why are people going to invest that much time and money if they are not going to take it seriously and be a good AFF I? It will take me a LONG time to earn that 1,000 in student jumps. Maybe that is the difference between a smaller dz and a larger dz... those getting their I's are doing so to make money. I don't care about the money part. I care about the students and being a good instructor and role model to them. Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

My guess is your landing "seemed" faster and harder because you were focused on the wind sock. A 5 mph wind is a slight breeze in some areas of the country. And under a large docile student canopy should not have made much difference if you landed down wind. Take the advice of those with a lot of experience. Land in your predetermined pattern. Any deviation of this will open yourself up to canopy collisions... Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I