LadiDadi

There is no video of me digging a trough in the field with my butt. Thankfully! I did see video of me during the freefall... What a valuable learning tool. What a cringe-inducing thing to watch. At one point I looked like a boat in rough water bobbing up and down and side to side. One point in my favor is that I was able to identify all of the things I did wrong and why. Now putting that into action is the challenge. I haven't bought beer yet as I do not know all the rules around when the noob buys the beer. Is there a break-down of that somewhere here? My momma raised me to be polite and to honor customs no matter where I go so I need to know. I also don't drink beer so god only knows what sort of crap I would show up with. I have become quite fascinated by the whole idea behind this beer I saw recently. I forget the brand but it comes in a tall can and includes tomato juice and clam juice. Really? Who thought that was a good idea? I don't think I could gag down a thimble full of that stuff. Also - what means 'puppy chasers'? If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

I am acutely aware that my ass surfing was successful by luck only. My downward speed wasn't the problem so I didn't *whump* down on my butt and then skid. It was, by my view of things, a lot of forward speed and I honestly felt - and still feel - that if I had tried to put my feet down that I would have ended up on my face skidding (at best). I didn't have my feet horizontal to the ground or above horizontal so my butt did not hit first, my heels did (knees bent, of course). I'm not in any way trying to justify dangerous or bad habits and I promise you as well as myself and my instructors that I will never, EVER rely on a butt slide. I was told, however, that given the situation I was in with the forward speed it was a good thing. BUT THAT I AM TO NEVER EVER DO IT AGAIN. You are always welcome to yell at me. Use me as a bad example even. Just as long as you tell me it's because you love me when you're done beating me up Level three just might be tomorrow; depends on how much groaning I do in the morning. Every muscle between my elbows and knees is sore. Anyone who says that skydiving isn't a sport or physical can kiss my (grass stained) ass - once they're done rubbing my back down with Tiger Balm. If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

AFF levels 1 and 2 are in the bag. Woo hoo!!! I'm awesome!! I'm also sore as hell, have some lovely bruises that I am excited about (unlike last time) and every time I try to stand up straight I am reminded of a very important lesson: The arch comes from the hips being thrust forward, not the back bending backwards. Ooooh... I used ALL the hot water in the shower this morning trying to get those lower back muscled to let go. Lesson learned. Also, to all of those who made comments about tandems teaching bad habits. Ha! Not so true sometimes. My second landing was way out and the radio guy had limited perspective as to how far off the ground I was so his 'FLARE' command was a little late. Combine that with my pathetic flare and I ended up with some serious (for a beginner) forward speed. I know the PLF and have done it successfully but I don't think that a PLF would have been a good idea for me in that situation. I had *just* enough time to realize that if I tried to put my feet down in any fashion, mayhem would have ensued in one manner or another. So I did what any good tandem student would do - put my feet up and out and skidded for what seemed like half a mile (likely about 15 feet?) on my ass. Wow, was the friction toasty! But nothing was hurt (except maybe some crickets) except for my fingers getting skinned on the dry grass and dirt and I was commended on my ass skid. For anyone needing a real laugh - I landed so hard that my boobs popped out of my bra. Yay!! Skydiving is fun!! Go skydive!! I'm off to try and convince my husband that we need a hot tub now... If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

Let's bid farewell to that old thread now, shall we? Today was incredible. Simply incredible. I followed the advice of my husband and did a tandem jump so I could remind myself why I started down this road in the first place. Unless you're in the Army or the plane is going down, I believe everybody skydives for the same reason (regardless of what they say) - because it's fun. Pure and simple. Fun. My last actual jump - the nasty static line one - and my last attempt at a jump on Friday were not in any way fun. They were scary and painful and frustrating. I needed to hit the reset button, so to speak, and that's what I did today. I had fun. I had a blast. It was a stunningly gorgeous day well deserved after several days of crap weather. It was a good day to fly and I'm glad that chance paired me up with a kick ass guy who went well out of his way to show me what I loved about this from the first moment. He helped me more than I could ever express. SDCTLC - you're my hero. Everyone else here - you all played a part in this little saga/sob story and I thank you all. Now I have to go to bed. I start AFF tomorrow... If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

Hey... I'm from Georgia. I had a wonderful uncle named Bub. Short for Bubba. Bubba because his mother and father thought that Grover Cleveland Mac Donald was a good name. He lived with his wife and adult child (who today would likely be considered Autistic - then he was just 'simple') down the street from us and I still remember the night his still blew up. My dad's name is James Paul and my mom wanted to name me Jamie Paula but Dad nixed that idea for fear that people would call his little girl Bubba. ('Bubba' is Southernese for 'Junior' for those of you who don't know) I only use the name 'Bubba' because that's just the fill-in-the-blank-name in my world. Not because I see it as a negative. I use it for the makebelieve cavemen because, in my experience, Georgia dirt farmers are some of the most inventive people in the world. The less you have, the more inventive you get with what little you do have. That's all. Back to your regularly scheduled debate: PETA - Spawn of Satan or Gift of the Gods... GO! If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

Peregrinerose, Oh ye baker of cupcakes... This cupcake failed you. Hell, I didn't even get the chance to chant "BE the cupcake" - I never made it that far. I didn't forget about it though. I'm going down there today to check things out and talk with the instructors about my sob story and such. They mostly jump from Twin Otters and a Caravan there. They do have a Cessna but they don't use it for AFF typically. So, my major obstacle is temporarily removed. I say 'temporarily' because it will always be an obstacle for me and I will have to overcome it. What I hope to gain is that I will learn to be safe and stable and skilled in freefall and safe and stable and skilled under canopy. I will learn how to handle myself in the sky so that I can climb out on to the step and hang from the strut and know that if I slip or let go with one hand first and try to hang on with the other causing me to twist in the air (what happened to me last time) that I have the skills to recover from it and see myself safely to the ground. I will be able to correct crappy body positions, arch, get stable, deploy my chute and be safe rather than freak out, not have the chance to recover (even if I knew how), and have the chute open for me while I am in the process of twisting my entire body and slightly back down. That's my hope anyway. I hope I managed to word it correctly so that my thoughts make some slight bit of sense. No SHIT!! I figured that my 'punishment' for not jumping was having to land. I'm actually scared of flying. Scared in commercial jetliners forget little wind-up Cracker Jack toys. I only referred to it as my 'shame walk' because I like to use humor to mask my true feelings. Hey - at least I admit it. I felt no shame whatsoever for what I did Friday. Just the opposite. In addition to feeling frustrated and disapointed with myself, I feel proud. I am proud of the fact that I listened to my gut and did not do what my gut was SCREAMING at me to not do. I think it takes a lot of courage to sit in that door for two passes and say 'no' and scoot back into the plane. I was to be the first out so the second guy (S/L jump) had to climb over me to make his jump. There was a third guy who was to make a solo jump with the instructor to get his license but he had to ride down with us. The pilot couldn't land with a student in the plane and no instructor and the third guy couldn't jump without the instructor so we all had to go back down. I apologized to everyone for screwing up the schedule but I didn't feel guilty for what I did. I honestly think that my last two 'events' and the lessons learned will carry with me for the rest of my life. Not just in skydiving either. 1- On my 5th jump ever and first static line jump I got hurt. It was nothing major but I did find out that my arm getting stuck in the lines possibly prevented line twists so the 'damage' to my arm is a fair trade off. I learned that in this sport there is no margin for error. You can get hurt in a matter of seconds - before you even know you are hurt. It doesn't take much. It is serious business. I took it very seriously before but now I have a bit of a better understanding of it. 2- Never, EVER, override your gut. It is not brave to jump out of a plane. It is brave to say 'No. I don't feel confident that I can do this and I don't want to get hurt again.' That fear can not and should not be overcome while sitting in the door and 5 entries in your log book. That needs to happen on the ground. I will do this thing. I'm off today to bug the hell out of some instructors and likely follow my husband's advice and do a tandem today so I can relax and be reminded of why I fell in love with this in the first place. Wish me luck. This cupcake's off to get some sprinkles!!! If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

I wonder who the first person was that ate an egg. "Hey Bubba!" (because, in my makebelieve world, cavemen are named 'Bubba') "C'mere and check this out. You ain't never gonna believe it. Something just fell outta that there chicken's ass." "Wanna eat it?" If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

Yay!! I love you, man! If we ever meet, the facon is on me!* *although it looks like those Beggin Strips they sell for dogs and it's made from wheat protien and I have Celiac-Sprue disease, but still... If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

What's the possibility of you two meeting up for a vacation somewhere? Someplace neither of you have been? That way you are starting out on equal footing and there's no 'going home to ma's house' to worry about. I used to live in West Palm Beach and know that all of South Florida is a great jumping off point for a lot of easy and cheap(er) vacations. Do it with the goal of getting to know each other and bonding, nothing more or less. You should read a book called 'Honeymoon With My Brother' by Franz Weisner. If you can do this, make a deal with him - you won't bring your skydiving gear if he doesn't bring his laptop. No jumping, no RPG-ing. Just two brothers out to see the world. If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

If bars, beach, clubs and DZ's aren't his thing, find out what is his thing. Instead of trying to assimilate him into your idea of a good place to have fun and maybe meet a girl, you should assimilate yourself into his world. Put yourself in his shoes. You're his older brother who lives away from home and skydives and does all these cool things and has no problem meeting women (I assume...) so you want to take his slightly hefty (which to him is probably not 'slight' regardless of reality) self to the beach to meet a girl? Are you kidding? You will totally eclipse him. Why would he want to go to a club and sit in the corner and watch you work your magic when he could be at home where he's comfortable? I'm not saying that your motives are bad but your methods need altering. Does he play video games? Go to one of the video game competitions. Does he play Rock Band or Guitar Hero? A lot of bars have nights dedicated solely to either of those games. Better yet would be if you have never played either one and you volunteer to go first. Make yourself look like an ass and then let him get up there and one up you (Finally!! For once!!!). How about a trivia night at a bar or pub somewhere? He needs to meet people with the same interests as him. If he meets a girl at a club yet he hates going to clubs, they aren't likely to have much in common. He doesn't necessarily have to meet girls. He just needs to meet people. Like minded people. The girls and getting laid part will follow. Help him get out more and meet more people. Let the 'meet a girl' or 'get laid' part go. It's too much pressure and he's got enough of that as it is from his internal voice I'm sure. Just one girl's opinion. By the way - I'm married to a software engineer so at least one of them out there is getting laid. I also end up being the designated 'girl getter' quite often for his uber geek friends. PS - DO NOT GET HIM A HOOKER!!! Please... If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

Just so you know, I am fully aware of what goes on in the meat and dairy industries. I have actually been in a slaughter house. I used to live about half a mile from a rendering plant and the only way to get there was to go past where I lived. I think that what happens in the majority of these places is absolutely attrocious. I don't drink milk but it's because I think it tastes disgusting. I don't like ice cream because ... I don't know why, actually. I don't hate it but I just don't like it enough to bother. I eat meat. I do my best to eat meat that comes from small, family owned operations within close proximity to where I live. I choose this for a lot of reasons; one of them being the way they handle the animals. I have two dogs and a cat and they all eat raw meat that comes from the same places I get my food. I know WAY too much about the crap they put in pet food to do otherwise (that and dogs and cats can't cook). I used to work in a medical research lab when I was in college and we experimented on animals. Chickens solely. They were never injured or mishandled in any way prior to being euthanised. I feel no guilt for what I did there. I hope that what I did will, in the future, make my life better. We were searching for causes of nerve deafness and, while I didn't know it at the time, I am losing my hearing due to the same thing we were working on. My mother had a kidney transplant two years ago and would not be alive if it were not for animal research. Whether or not one consumes animal products is a seperate issue from medical animal testing and seperate from animal testing of cosmetics or something like squirting orange soda in a bunny's eye to see if it stings. I eat animal products, I totally support medical testing, I do not in any way condone cosmetic testing. And, if it makes you feel any better, the Cows With Guns song and videos are the thing that made my 8 year old niece decide to be a vegetarian a year ago. I did not intend to get under anyone's skin with my comments or the video link and I am sorry if I've upset you or anyone else. Totally not my desire. Group hug? If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

Ha HA!! I don't like shellfish so THERE! I do mix meat and dairy on a regular basis, however. Good thing most Jewish people don't really believe in Hell. (not in the way Christians do, anyway...) Bacon... Mmmm... Everything is better with bacon. Except beverages and ice cream (yes, I tried it.) All beverages are better with vodka. Or were better when I could drink. My newly single kidney doesn't appreciate alcohol. Ooh! I'm going to make my husband a bloody mary with bacon and see what he thinks. If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

And I like bacon (just to get the thread back on track...) If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

I knew that. I forgot that. Thanks for fixing that. At least I quit trying to put my own html code in these messages... I have no middle ground, I tell ya! NO middle ground! If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

Better version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5s5qGg01nE If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQMbXvn2RNI If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

Nope. Nope. Nope. Well... Not a static line jump. I am going to go do AFF. I do feel a bit like I'm jumping ship on the folks at Snohomish (but it's a lot closer to me and I'll be spending a lot of time and money there in the long run). I tried. I really and truly tried to do the static line jump but I was unable. Wow... About ten thousand things a second were going through my mind at first. I spent several hours at the DZ on Thursday waiting for the weather to clear up (it only got worse) and used that time to talk to several different people about my mistakes, fears, issues, etc. We worked on a standing exit rather than the hanging exit so that I would be more at ease (and, more importantly, not get hurt). I was unable to jump on Thursday but I went home feeling confident. I went back yesterday (Friday) feeling confident. Feeling that I could do this. I got suited up, tried on two different rigs this time so I felt comfortable in in it rather than just taking the one that was handed to me. We practiced in the plane mock-up on the ground several times - with and without gear. I felt confident. We loaded up and I felt fine. I was first out and I felt fine. Door opened - fine. I scooted up and swung my feet out and looked for the spot and was excited. I was really excited. He said "Okay, go ahead and climb out" and that's where I fell apart. That strut was suddenly so far away. The step was suddenly so slippery. My ass was suddenly glued to the floor. The only part of my body that worked was my head and only in a shaking-it-side-to-side manner to indicate 'no'. What was going through my mind initially was simple - "Spot. Strut. Step. Spot. Strut. Step." I was just frozen in place. The pilot made another pass for me and I went back into "Spot. Strut. Step." and "YOU. CAN. DO. THIS." We got over the spot and the mental conversation was "You can do it - your hand is on the strut. Haul your ass up." "Can't. My feet are slipping." "No shit they're slipping - there's no weight on them. Stand the fuck up and there will be." and so on and so forth. My little mental conversation quickly reached the "you'll get hurt like last time or what if it's worse" point and there was no arguement for that. I was simply physically frozen. One of the other guys in the plane had to help me get back in the back of the plane because I was so paralyzed I couldn't even do that. It sucks. I beat the hell out of myself up there and it sucks. I don't plan on this being the end of it but I must be reasonable and let go of the static line/wing strut stage at this point. Ignoring that level of fear and overriding that level of sympathetic nervous system response is, in my mind, just as deadly as complacency. So... I'm off to AFF. One day I'll hang from a wing strut but it's going to have to wait. If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

The founder of PETA never has denied ties to any of those organizations nor has she denied donating money to them. She has publicly supported them. Like I said, activistcash was an easy one-stop-shopping place to pull the quotes from. The info is contained in many, many other places. No media outlet is fair or balanced. They all have bottom lines to adhere to. If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

I wasn't being evasive, just didn't want to clog up the thread with stuff you can find easily online. However... PETA has contributed money to all of those organizations, to the defense funds of individuals acting on behalf of those organizations and has never denied their support of them. It's all a matter of public record. As far as I know, no deaths can be directly attributed to any of the organizations but it sure isn't for lack of trying: With regards to ALF and ELF - "The two groups are responsible for more than 600 crimes since 1996, causing (by a very conservative FBI estimate) more than $43 million in damage. ALF’s “press office” brags that in 2002, the two groups committed “100 illegal direct actions” -- like blowing up SUVs, destroying the brakes on seafood delivery trucks, and planting firebombs in restaurants." "PETA also has given $2,000 to David Wilson, then a national ALF “spokesperson.” The group paid $27,000 for the legal defense of Roger Troen, who was arrested for taking part in an October 1986 burglary and arson at the University of Oregon. It gave $7,500 to Fran Stephanie Trutt, who tried to murder the president of a medical laboratory. It gave $5,000 to Josh Harper, who attacked Native Americans on a whale hunt by throwing smoke bombs, shooting flares, and spraying their faces with chemical fire extinguishers. All of these monies were paid out of tax-exempt funds" "PETA president Ingrid Newkirk was involved in the multi-million-dollar arson at Michigan State University that resulted in a 57-month prison term for Animal Liberation Front bomber Rodney Coronado. At Coronado’s sentencing hearing, U.S. Attorney Michael Dettmer said that PETA’s Ingrid Newkirk arranged ahead of time to have Coronado send her a pair of FedEx packages from Michigan -- one on the day before he burned the lab down, and the other shortly afterward." With regards to SHAC: "Brian Cass was getting out of his car at his home in England on a clear night in February 2001, when he was surrounded by three masked men wielding heavy, wooden objects. Some news reports describe them as baseball bats, others as pickaxe handles. Whatever their weapons, they started to beat the 53-year-old Cass on the head and body without any warning. In a few short moments, his hair and jacket were soaked through with blood. A neighbor tried to intervene and help him, but was immobilized by a spray of CS gas, in the face, by one of Cass’s attackers. Months later, when the lead attacker was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison, Cass’ marketing director Andrew Gay was attacked on his doorstep with a chemical spray to his eyes, leaving him temporarily blinded and writhing in pain in front of his wife and young daughter." "Paul and Heather Saunders were entertaining friends one autumn night in 2000 when they heard two loud crashes from the direction of their front patio. They ran toward the noise to find that two large chunks of dried cement had been thrown through their plate-glass patio doors. The two vandals they saw running away paused for a moment, to pour paint stripper all over their guests’ car. Nearly five months later, a strange package was delivered to the house, addressed to Heather. The bomb squad in their town found enough explosives inside to kill anyone who might have dared to open it." It goes on and on from there. All of the above quotes, for ease of quoting, came from www.activistcash.com but the same stories can be found in places like Wikipedia or AP press reports or any number of other places. So, no, to reiterate, they haven't actually killed a doctor but they have tried or supported those who have tried. If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

Don't forget the 'half hour to last call at the bar and I'll be damned if I'm going home alone - AGAIN' feel that some of the threads have going... If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

Prehensile tail. Definitely a prehensile tail... If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

Check out PETA's relationship with ALF (the Animal Liberation Front), ELF (Earth Liberation Front) as well as their relationship with SHAC (Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty) and decide for yourself. If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

I'm a big weenie. I rode an airplane today. Yay me! That's all I did today. I went up, got in the door, freaked out, the pilot circled around, I freaked out some more and then put my seatbelt back on. The worst 'shame walk' ever... But, hey - I went on a plane ride... *sigh* If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

[edited because the question wasn't for me - I'm little and get confused sometimes...] If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.

"Oops, I crapped my pants." http://www.drinkalot.com/Videos/564/Oops_I_crapped_my_pants.htm If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you. **************************** Be like the cupcake and suck it up.