wolfriverjoe

the one on the right or the one on the left. The cocktail waitress, duh. That's one ugly fucker on the right. DUDE!! He's kind enough to provide that photo and you call him ugly?!? Even though he is, I wouldn't say it out loud. "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 isn't unusual for a lawyer or the family of an injured tandem "passenger" to come on here looking for a way to get around the waiver that was signed. And yes, we have a lot of lawyers here in the US. When you asked a question that was very clearly about liability, and did so with an empty profile, alarm bells went off for most of us. A real lawyer wouldn't have taken it personally. I am a little curious why you were wondering about this. Why are you worrying about a TI's responsibilty? Most newer jumpers ask questions about stuff they are doing right now, or want to do in the immediate future. One suggestion: before asking these questions, search around a bit. A search for the words Tandem Student Injuries(click on that) brings up a thread from a couple months ago about that very subject. You will see how instructors feel about it in their own words. Most questions were asked at least once. I have yet to think of one that I can't find with a search. The best ones, however, are the ones others bring up that I hadn't though of. Stick around a bit, but read more, post less. You will learn quite a bit. You will very quickly learn who to pay attention to and who to ignore "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

Yes. I do believe in "God" and I feel that skydiving is one of his greatest gifts to me. It has given me some insights on life that I wouldn't have had otherwise. It has helped me realize how important some things are and how unimportant others are. It has given me a much greater appreciation for my life. There is also the mind-clearing aspect of it. Once the cut is called (or the light goes on) nothing else matters. Nothing else can intrude. I need total focus. "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'm very impressed with the newspaper story. A 46 way is something to be proud of, but getting a "regular" paper to write a skydiving story without including any of the cliches about how dangerous it is or referring to jumpers as "daredevils" is pretty damned rare. The writer focused on the technical difficulties of the jump, not the "thrillseeking" part. I think that is a record in itself "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

Yep, Bernie Taupin was one weird dude. A lot of the songs he and Elton John wrote are really off the wall, but still fabulous. And a lot of the lyrics are really hard to figure out just from listening to the song. "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

Not adequate. He enters her residence in her absence, without either her advance permission or after-the-fact notification. That is unacceptable. I agree that his behavior is inexcusable. And illegal. But how far is Nataly willing to push? It is her definition of unacceptable that is what counts here. I was just offering an option that protects her privacy while she is there. Personally, I like the idea of clobbering him over the head with a rolling pin and saying she thought he was an intruder But that would probably have consequences that Nataly would find unacceptable. "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

Don't you want THIS? Bet you haven't heard that version before? Cant get youtube here in china

Or you could just install a simple bolt for when you are home. That way he can't just walk in on you. Yes, it's screwed into the door and frame, but it's only 8 small screws, it wouldn't look bad when installed and the holes could be puttied up if it ever gets removed. If he wonders why you need to put it on, just say "because I'm worried about strange men walking in on me" "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

Don't you want THIS? Bet you haven't heard that version before? "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

Drive truck over the road. I have an unusual schedule, 7 days out, 7 days off. Love it. There are days that suck (and the worst ones of the year are coming), I have to deal with the idiots who can't drive on a daily basis, (see THIS THREAD for some of what I have to deal with) and the traffic in major cities can be a pain, but overall it's a fabulous job. Last year, I woke up one winter morning (well before dawn) in Rapid City SD and headed east. I got to watch the entire sunrise over the plains that morning. The sunset over the Utah desert (on I70 near Green River) is incredible. Seeing the beauty of the country we live in (and some of Canada) is one of the most enjoable things in my life. Seeing how bad some of the parts are makes me appreciate what I have (Detroit is a pit, so are parts of Cincinnati). As I say to my friends, I get in the truck, roadtrip all over the country for a week, then get home and have a week off. It sure beats working for a living. "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 with this tactic is that deteriming that point is very difficult, and it is almost impossible to tell when you have gone past it until it is too late "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

My Great-Grandfather's gold pocket watch. My mom is giving it to me. It's at the repair shop right now being cleaned/oiled/regulated. And the jewler who she is going through just happened to have an antique watch chain that he had bought for the gold (as scrap gold) that he wasn't willing to see melted down. He's selling it to my mom for a lot less that it's worth as an antique.

Yes, bored under canopy is a lot better than bored on the gound waiting for the cast to come off. And yes, the people replying are a bit anxious. There have been way too many jumpers that were unwilling to listen to good advice (again, read the thread I linked) that ended up hurt or dead. It comes out a little funny at times, but the people offering advice really do care, and don't want to see you get hurt. Or they just don't want to have to wait on the ground while the ambulace (or coroner) gets finished. "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 think they are really rare. Most birds fly well below pull altitudes, so a freefall strike wouldn't happen. And canopy speeds (even HP speeds) are low enough for them to see and avoid us. What makes you ask?? "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

Yeah, you'd think people have seen a cop car or a a tow truck with the blinky lights on before, but they always seem to stop and stare. "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 you read the links GLIDEANGLE put up. Especially look at the absolute minimum for your weight and experience recommended by Brian Germain. There are all sorts of good reasons to jump a larger canopy for a while. One of the biggest is that you haven't trained out some of the natural reflexes that will get you hurt. The most obvious is "reaching for the ground". When hit by a gust, you will reach for the ground the first couple times. It's a natural reaction, like blinking. Under a large canopy, you will get bumps and bruises. Under a 150 loaded at 1.5:1 broken bones are almost guaranteed. This has little or nothing to do with how smart you are, or how much you know, this is purely an experience issue. You may have trained out that particular reflex (skateboarders usually have), but there are others just like it that are just as dangerous. If you follow a good training/mentoring program, you will not get bored under a 170. You will actually get better faster (believe it or not). What will happen is that you will push to the canopy's limits, then push your own limits further flying a larger canopy at it's own limits. Under a smaller canopy, you won't be able to push your own limits because the limits of the canopy are so far beyond your abilities. (Kind of like getting to be a better race driver by running go-karts - You have to drive lesser machines very well). THIS THREAD is from earlier this month, dealing with the exact same question. I didn't reply to it because the OP wasn't listening anymore by the time I got to it. But my advice would be what I am putting here. I would suggest you look at the profiles of those saying that this is a bad idea. There are a lot of world class skydivers on here, all of them think it's better to stay on a bigger canopy. If you were getting online golf advice from Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson ect., would you listen? You aren't "guaranteed" to get hurt under a 150, but you are increasing your chances quite a bit, and isn't there enough risk in this sport? "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 consider it a failure of my driving skills to not notice someone coming up behind me early enough to move out of their way (traffic permitting) so that they do not have to slow down. Holy Crap!!!! Common Sense and Common Courtesy! And at the same time!! You do realize that you have no business behind the wheel anywhere in North America, 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

Yep, just like common sense I say that a lot. "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

Very true, but the posted speed limit seems to be a suggestion in some places, and a joke in others. (I would very strongly suggest not going the posted limit on I94 through downtown Chicago for example). There are also laws in various states to "drive right, pass left" or for "Slower traffic keep right". It all boils down to basic, common courtesy; paying attention to what's going on around you; and understanding that others have a right to the road also. And to the OP - Yep, it's the first snow of the year, and everyone has forgotten that the white stuff makes the roads really slippery. Or they think that they are so special that the basic laws of physics don't apply to them. "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 main problem is that cheap isn't good and good isn't cheap. Period. Get everything in writing. Period. Charges, surcharges, shcedule change policy, damage reporting procedures/policy and probably a few things I'm forgetting. Check with the Better Business Bureau and places like Angieslist to find out who is good and who isn't. The movers have you in a tight spot if they start pulling crap. They have your stuff hostage, basically, and can legally keep it and charge you storage if you don't jump through their hoops. One option is the pack and load yourself deal. Pods is one, the LTL carrier ABF is another. They drop off a container or trailer, you load it up. They then drive it to the new place and you unload 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

Yep, any time I see an exotic car on the road, I have learned to be very careful of the rest of the traffic. There is usually some idiot getting video of it on his phone, wandering all over the road. Or driving like a maniac to get a better shot of 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

That "plastic egg shell" is more than likely a Pro-Tec. It provides a lot more real protection than a "real" skydiving helmet. I have a Bonehead set up for a camera, but I still jump my Pro-Tec when I don't jump the camera. For a "newbie" the Pro-Tec has a lot to offer. Cheap - You will probably biff and scratch it up early on. You won't mind that on a $40 Pro-Tec as much as a $250 Cookie. Tough - See above. One good hit can crack a carbon fiber helmet. Real Protection. Try on a few of the "real" skydiving helmets vs. the Pro-Tec. Feel how much better the padding is. About the only one I know of (I may be wrong, feel free to correct me)that has good protection is the D3o from Cookie. "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

Rwieder has not posted in this thread. Where would we find that link? Oops, my bad. Mdrejhon, not Rweider. 2 posts above mine. Apologies for any confusion. "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 don't see a bird HERE More evidence that money doesn't buy brains, good judgement or driving skill at Wrecked Exotics "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

Are you looking at a 4 year difference or a 25% age difference. 4 years isn't that much to me, the last 2 women I dated were that far off, one older, one younger. But at my age it's only 10% Or are you just pissed at being referred to as "older"? "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