wolfriverjoe

Don't worry about asking 'newbie questions". It's how you learn. I found a new way of saying it recently: The only time you need to apologize for ignorance - is when you do nothing to change it. (I told you I was stealing that one Sandy ) Skydiving is far more mental than physical. Flexibility and agility play a role, but body awareness is more important. Knowing what position your body is in is vital. To a certain degree, dancers and gymnasts do better than average because of this awareness. More important, as has been mentioned, is an appreciation of the risks you are taking and a willingness to learn how to reduce those risks. You are not "special," you are not immortal. You are a fragile and breakable human. Mistakes can kill. Both you and those around you. Bad luck can kill. You can do everything right and still die. You can do everything right and still have some yahoo take you out, But there are things you can do to reduce those risks. The ability to remain calm and focused and react quickly and correctly in a stressful situation is important. Why isn't it easy? Well, it's not all that hard to do. Doing it well however, is a whole different matter. Over and above the necessary stuff, like gear knowledge, rules, emergency procedures, all that stuff, it's a very unnatural and often counterintuitive set of skills. Nobody is a "natural" at this, we are entering an environment that is totally alien to our evolution. We really don't belong up there. Reaching the point where it is second nature, and you can put yourself exactly where, when and how you want in the sky is a long and arduous journey, one that never really ends. And that's the challenge. I've never had a jump go perfectly. There's always something that I could have done better. There's always something to improve. There's also always something new to try. There is nothing that I know of, except for tunnel experience that will prepare you. Perhaps paragliding or hang gliding. To some extent, piloting experience. But those just teach basic aerodynamics, how airfoils are controlled, how to land, basic pattern procedures and a bit on emergency preparedness (overview stuff, not really specific to skydiving). And last, why RW? Why do we do "Square dancing in three dimensions, while wearing sillier outfits?" Because it's really, really cool. There are solo disciplines, solo freestyle is one, but most of us like the challenge of trying to get to a specific slot, in a specific sequence. It goes back to "can you put your body exactly where you want to in the sky? It's impossible to judge how well you are doing on a solo jump. No reference point. You can do flips and rolls and stuff, but it's not the same. It was recently said on here that skydiving is like sex. It's a lot more fun when you aren't alone. If you reach the point where you can jump with others, you'll understand. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Source: http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/05/21/alex-jones-explains-how-government-weather-weap/194167 You can safely put this moron into the category of tin-foil hatters. He's been in that category for a long, long time. That's in both the "Moron" and "Tin-Foil Hat" categories. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

The problem is that there is a lot of stuff that can be learned, even on a bigger canopy, that the "Mad Skilz" crowd isn't interested in. AggieDave posted something a while back about this. Pattern consistency, altitude judgment, sight picture, accuracy, stalls and slow flight, and on and on. Fundamental canopy flight control that is very important but often overlooked by the "Can You Teach Me to Swoop?" crowd. They don't want to do the "boring drills" that are necessary to develop the judgment needed. And did anyone else notice the real brutal irony in the May "Parachutist"? In the article about the new members of the PD canopy team (written by our own Miss Brz) one entered his first canopy competition without any formal training or practice, and the other was DQ'd from his second competition for erratic behavior in the pattern. The irony is that 2 of the 3 non-fatal incidents in the back were novices flying perfectly good canopies into the ground, canopies they had no business being on in the first place. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

I would strongly suggest waiting to buy any gear. Particularly the actual rig (Harness/Container) or Canopy (chute). #1 - Gear appropriate for a first-jump student is not what you will want after you get your license. It is very possible you will progress through a variety of different sized canopies as you go through the student progression. #2 - The DZ will provide the gear for your initial student jumps. Any reputable DZ would not allow you to jump your own gear for your first jumps. At least not without inspecting it very carefully to make sure it is appropriate for you and that it is in safe condition to jump. You don't need to buy anything at first. It's all provided for you. But if you have to buy something a logbook or a pair of goggles won't cost you much. A helmet (Benny or ProTec) or an altimeter would run a bit more, but are also common early purchases. But wait until you have at least a couple jumps before you get much, and make sure you discuss this with your instructors before you buy it. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Never try to Jump Over the fire - Ever. Never fall asleep or pass out with your shoes on. Always put your gear away before the shenanigans start (depending on the dz, possibility of theft, probability of beer or puke getting all over it). "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

I've been thinking about this. And I say "Yes." Everything I do, everything I see, everything I experience changes me. The degree of the change is relative to the severity of the experience. Behavior modification, either through positive or negative reinforcement, changes my actions every day. Most of the time, it's small, subtle changes; but it is change. Added up over time, it's pretty substantial. Richard Back (the author who wrote "Johnathan Livinston Seagull) often referred to himself in the past or future as "Richard of (Insert date here)", usually in the third person and often as a completely different person that the "Richard of the Present." "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Sure it's there. There's also a very similar chip of racism (some malicious, some just ignorant) that a certain predictable cadre of white Americans who post in SC rather frequently display, and usually not very subtly. So, sometimes I choose to call them on it - sometime as being chip-holders, sometimes as being not just silly morons, but silly morons who express themselves like 12 year olds in middle school. Sometimes both. How creative I am about it (or not) depends on how much I choose to amuse myself at any given time. But harbor no doubt: I stand by my posts. Oh please Andy. Like 12 year olds? Really? Most 12 year olds express themselves a lot better. More like 5 year olds. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Care to back that up with any facts? I can't find it with a quick search, but IIRC, there was a report that CCW holders were arrested (for all crimes, misdemeanor and felony) at a rate of 0.02% (two tenths of one percent), while the general public had approximately a 4% FELONY CONVICTION rate. Total arrests for all crimes vs felony convictions, and the CCW rate is one twentieth of the general public. The people I know who have permits and carry regularly understand the responsibility of it. There are a few "Yahoos", but they are definitely in the minority. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

I am so stealing that line. Far, far better than "The only stupid question is the one you don't ask" that I use. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

News to me. And apparently also to NPR, who had it on "Morning Edition" this morning. A pretty decent story on why she made the decision and why it was appropriate to her and why it would or wouldn't be for other women. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Read again. You totally missed the point. I suspect intetionally, but maybe not. Maybe you're one of those people who think every Muslim is an armed extremist, in which case there's really no point talkng to you. No, I think he is taking your words at face value, when it's pretty obvious to those reading for comprehension that you missed a "not." I'm going to guess you really meant "Not only not dangerous, but polite." "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

I think you are going to want what we call a Minivan. What you Aussies call a People Mover. All the car companies make them. Chrysler has made the most, but everyone has at least one. You can look on Cars.com or Autotrader.com to get an idea of what's available. You can choose a specific area and a type of vehicle in the search. HERE is the autotrader search result for vans and minivans near Orlando FL less than $5k. As you can see, the choices under $2k aren't all that great. For something you can trust on a cross country journey, I think you will need to spend more than $2k, but it depends on the local market. I don't know about titling and insuring a car as a non-resident, but it's usually doable. The biggest problem is going to be selling it at the end. California has very strict rules on emissions and selling a car. A "non-Cali" car won't pass the smog test. And they require that the car pass smog before the sale with any liability for getting it to pass falling on the seller not the buyer. IOW - You need a recent smog certificate to sell the car and if you sell a car that won't pass smog, the buyer can come after you for the costs to fix it. You'd be far better off selling it in Arizona and finding a ride the rest of the way. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

No. Lots of folks started in their 50s or even later. Professor Kallend and GrannyInTheSky are the two who first come to mind. There are a lot of others. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

I sometimes wonder what the fuck is wrong with people. These "girls" need to grow up and learn to live beyond the Instagram photo. I'm not real surprised. Look at the women who flocked to the Menendez brothers. Or to "Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez. A bunch of those idiots thought that the Menedezes or Ramirez were "too cute" to have committed the crimes they were accused and convicted of. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Is there meat in the recipe? If not, that makes it vegetarian, and we all know those vegetarian tree-hugging hippies are all liberal Democrats. Don't forget that potato salad has lots of fat and cholesterol in it. It's unhealthy. Mayor Bloomberg will soon be proposing that only low-fat potato salad be available. Or that real potato salad be sold in containers no bigger than a single, small serving. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Line twists aren't that big of a deal until you get under higher performance canopies. Line twists under student canopies are pretty common. Getting out of them is part of the First Jump Class. Line twists under reserve aren't a big deal unless you are stupid low. You can see a lot more on a night jump than you probably think. Ever been on an airplane at night? And to answer your question: Yes, formation jumps are part of the D-license night jump requirements. A lot of these questions are covered in the USPA SIM "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Any reason you want that particular breed? Although I'm not quite sure what you mean by "bull terrier." I would very strongly suggest adopting from a shelter. Second choice would be a rescue group. Most breeds have them. A good shelter or rescue will provide a well behaved, well trained dog. Breeders, not so much and puppy mills... Well, I hope they have a special place in hell reserved for them. If you are willing to be a little more flexible on the breed, then you can focus on finding a dog that's compatible with you. Dogs have a lot of personality. Every dog that I've ever known is a different "person." Even within the same breed. There are breed traits, but personality rules. And the best way to find out a dog's personality is to spend time with it. And the best way to spend time with a lot of different dogs is to volunteer at a local shelter. Really. Most shelters need volunteers and are willing to train you for what you want to do. It will give you a better idea of what you want in a dog and make you a much, much better dog owner. And if you are thinking "I don't have enough time to volunteer at a shelter," then you won't have enough time to be a dog owner. If you are thinking "I don't want to (insert unpleasant dog care task here)," then you shouldn't have a dog in the first place. Besides, although many of them are married or otherwise taken, the ratio of men to women volunteers is pretty favorable to the guys. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

But what if there's a fire? You put on two socks and have to walk around getting wet feet because of all the water being sprayed around. I have on one sock and one shoe and can hop around on one foot and stay dry. Wow, I'm getting old. No google or anything involved there. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Doesn't anyone other than Andy908 realize that the OP is another sockpuppet from our resident lunatic stalker? I have to admit that he trolled the usual suspects fairly well here. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Ok, let's see... Did you do anything to check out the seller? Did you ask around to see if anyone at your DZ knows anyone at her DZ? Did you do any research on the value of the rig or it's canopies? An old V2, PD F-111 main and obsolete reserve aren't worth much. Did you ask anyone at your DZ, like maybe a rigger, about the gear? Did you specify to the seller that the deal was contingent upon passing an inspection by a rigger? Did you give any consideration to doing an escrow deal? Did you do any research on how to determine if a rig will fit you or not? It's more than just height. And it's really easy to ask the manufacturer if a rig (based on serial number) will fit you (based on your measurements). Did you do any research AT ALL on buying gear through the classifieds? There's a bazillion threads on it. Most of them suggest getting answers to the questions I am asking. Or did you just see a rig that you thought might fit in the classifieds, exchange a few e-mails with a complete stranger and then send off a couple thousand dollars? Why do I have a feeling that the only "Yes" answer is going to be the last question? Sorry dude, but it sounds like you bought and paid for a rig that isn't a very good deal. P.T. Barnum was right. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Sheesh. How can you quit when you now have the perfect packing weight? Congrats on the munchkin. She's a cutie. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

The US did it in Iraq. Ummm.... No. The army allowed each household to keep one rifle. Usually a full auto AK. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

South Park. They were pretty mean to Harley guys. It was hilarious. http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s13e12-the-f-word "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

it's pretty scary that we talk about illegal voting being a benefit or loss to either party I don't care which party gets more illegal votes - it's a loss to both parties and the country every time it happens How many illegal immigrants are voting? Open question... I'm going to say "Very, very few." It's one of the things that bugs me about the whole "require ID to vote" propaganda machine. Most illegals want to keep a low profile. They just want to stay here and be left alone (most of them). Showing up at a government office? Putting their name on an official list? Committing a felony? Just so that they can bitch that their vote doesn't count just like the rest of us? I just don't see it. Haven't most of the "voter roll purges" been pretty much a bust? They find a bunch of US citizens who have multiple registrations, primarily people who moved and didn't "unregister" from their old address (I am probably registered to vote in at least 2 places). It doesn't mean they voted multiple times. I certainly never did. And they find a bunch of dead people who haven't been removed. And they mistakenly disenfranchise a bunch of innocent people. Have they found any significant number of illegal aliens registered to vote anywhere? IIRC, they've found a few. But when they track them down, it turns out that these people were registered by aggressive "get out the vote" campaigners and either registered to get the guy off their porch or didn't realize what they were signing. And even though they were registered, they never actually voted. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

I can't compare or contrast because I've been on Verizon forever. BUT... I drive truck and travel over much of the US (mostly eastern, no west coast). Verizon works everywhere. Middle of Michigan's UP? Middle of nowhere in Kansas? Banjo music country down in the South? Yup, works just fine. Voice and internet. Some places are still 3G, but those places are becoming fewer and further between. I haven't been anywhere where it didn't work in several years. I've only been doing internet (using a WiFi hotspot thingy) for a little over a year. But it works well and it works everywhere I've tried it. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo