FallnAngel

yeah, but VMware runs about $300 for the licensed version (althought you can get a 30-day trial for free), and if he's just starting out, why make that kind of commitment for an os he may not even like, or get much use out of! Plus, unless you've got some power under the hood, the Win2k/VMware performance is going to be a real disappointment. Besides, I know when I was first learning Linux, I rebuilt my system *alot* ...and it seems to me it would be less frustrating to blow out a few partitions and rebuild just the Linux side ...that way, too, you always have at least one OS running at all times. I vote for dual-booting your system...run with it, have fun, make lots of mistakes and learn!

Hi Ann! Here's the things I always do when that starts happening: Have you blown out the machine with compressed air lately? I usually get the rats nest problem when I have dust bunnies collected in the bobbin area and I haven't been too good at keeping everything clean. Try a different bobbin, and change your needle. Either one could have small nicks that are catching the thread. Is the bobbin wound evenly and is the thread you used relatively new? Hope that helps a little! Good luck on your kick-ass pants!

Hi, Terry! Didn't realize you were still around this weekend...thought you were headed off for the Olympics! Thursday was an absolute blast...I had so much fun! And you were a great "date"! lol Really hard to go back to work on Friday, though. And Lee really enjoyed his tandem...his wife & he are both coming out again for another one

Hi, CrazyMel - I friend of mine just completed AFF too, and now she's having the same problem...she jumped with a coach who told her what was happening, but it wasn't until she saw herself on video that she was able to really understand. What she was doing is kind of "crunching" one side of her body just a little. She was also pulling her elbows back towards her sides (like a chicken wing), and 'round & 'round she went. The harder she tried to stop the turn, the faster she went...very frustrating. So, for her, the solution is to get those arms back to a neutral position and straighten out her torso. It's fine to have someone *tell* you what your doing wrong, but it's a whole lot easier to see for yourself and then talk with the coaches. Hope that helps! Good luck with your jumps :-) Blue skies, light winds, Karen P.S. One more thing...keep your priorities in order at pull-time: even if you're in a turn/spin, when it's time to pull, be sure you do. Don't keep working on getting the spin stopped, even if it means you may have to deal with some line-twists after you open, k?

ummm...I dunno...I know I can Come on, Gary! Make it a 3-way Valentine's date!

Awesome, Terry! I will PM you with some details... Blue skies, sweet rides, Karen P.S. to lummy: You should come jump on the 14th, too, Gary! I don't remember seeing any rules that said we couldn't make it a 3-way! hehe

I say, retire the Canopy Nazi numbers...never much cared for the term personally...Nazi's only give a shit about themselves, and Lisa & Phree quite obviously care about other skydivers. I'm sure that with the creative minds on this forum, we can come up with a better designation for you both!! In the meantime, don't stop the advice...there are always going to be debates on canopy issues, and a wide variety of opinions is *always* important, k? Blue skies, light winds Karen

What a great question, Milo! When I touched ground after my first tandem, I figured that was it, I had done a skydive and lived, that was enough for l'il ol me

Congrats again, Terry! You were just *beaming* after your jump, so I know you had an awesome time!! Now the fun really begins...you have so many cool "firsts" ahead of you in the coming months....hop 'n pop (beer)...2-way(beer)...tube exit(beer)....sit-fly train (beer)...3-way (beer)... Btw, I am so glad that we finally met, and I look forward to when we can jump together! blue skies, cool rides, Karen

For my RW jumps: Breakoff ===> 4500 (I usually do 4-ways or smaller) Deployment ===> 3500 Decision ===> 1800 If I'm doing a freefly jumpie: Breakoff ===> 5500 and I leave the other settings the same as for RW. Blues, Karen

I was "KC" on the old forums (since about June of 2000)...didn't post a whole bunch, but I lurked alot :-)

Did someone say "Otter"??? *cough* *cough* I think my head is feeling stuffy on Wednesday So you have graduated from barnie status, huh, lummy? Well, good for you!! I didn't land at the airport until jump #99 or something like that...and I was still the first in my group to land there! We were barnies forever (and took alot of teasing because of it, too)!! The airport turned out to be only half as scary as I thought it would be, and it's really nice not to have to wait for the bus to drive you back. You've probably already heard this, but...land out in the dry, brown grass area. Everyone heads for the peas so you end up having the rest of the area to yourself for accuracy practice if you land further out to the east. See ya soon! Blue clear skies, Karen

Terri, you really have a great attitude!! Sorry to hear you did not get to jump...it will happen soon, though! Many times last winter, we sat around the dz waiting for the skies to clear, watching videos, talking with Neal, Dan Sommers, & everyone else...good times even without jumping

I'm an asthmatic, usually induced by allergic reactions (to just about everything it sometimes seems!), and there are a few things that I do while at the dz to keep everything under control. First off, I never forget to take my inhaler (forgot it once, won't ever foget it again!) Secondly, if I'm not feeling well...breathing problems, or whatever...I just don't jump, I sit it out. If I feel better later, then ok, but if I'm not feeling good on the ground, it's not going to help me any once I'm in the air, ya know? As far as breathing difficulty at the higher altitudes, there have been a few times when I felt like I wasn't getting enough air. I just took steady full breaths though and everything was ok. And those were times that we were going to 15k...I've never had a problem (in 120 jumps so far, at least) with going to 13,500. I think you're idea of taking an observer ride to altitude is a good one, especially if it puts your mind at ease. I also think that you probably shouldn't jump on the days where your chest/lungs/whatever is uncomfortably tight or you're having problems of any sort. You can always jump some other day! Hope that helps a little! Blue skies, light winds, Karen

I dont' know if this is technically considered a mal or not, but...on my 2nd jump (a tandem...I did the 3 tandems then aff route) I pulled the ripcord. Nothing. Still in freefall, I even looked at my hand to be sure I had actually pulled it. Had a moment longer to think "wow, the canopy seemed to open faster when I jumped with eric", then felt the TM moving around and then we were under the main. During debrief he just said that it was a total and that he pulled the other release. When I spoke to a JM I went through aff with he said that it was a fairly common problem. To this day, I'm still not sure what really happened, but I do know that it took me 6 weeks to work up the courage before doing the next level jump! Blue skies, Karen

Thanks a bunch for the help, guys! This is exactly the info I was looking for

Hi, AggieDave! I have a couple of suggestions for making some freefly clothes for yourself...first, start off with a pair of pants instead of a full jumpsuit. It will be much easier to sew, much easier to fit & finish, and less investment of time & money are needed to get started. There's a pattern here: Green Pepper Patterns for a pair of rain pants ($5). They can easily be altered to add a zippered front & waistband instead of just elastic, and you can add a "facing" at the hem to accomodate a velcro closure, snaps, elastic, whatever. Bagginess isn't a problem either, since it's a fairly straight-legged pattern...just add the volume you want equally to all 4 leg seams (try not to add too much to the crotch area though, or you'll end up looking like mc hammer) Be absolutely certain to double stitch the seams, serging is even better if you have access to one, and use the best quality fabric you can find (you can buy them online if you don't find any locally). Trigger, which is a medium weight polycotton might work (to give you an idea, it's slightly lighter weight than the fabric used to make Docker's) although it's not super "drapey" if you know what I mean. It runs about $6/yard & you'll need 2-1/2 to 3 yards for each pair. Also, for your initial pair, you might try making a template with inexpensive unbleached muslin ($.99/yard). Once you get the fitting just right on the muslin pair, you can start cutting away at your intended fabric. Expect to spend about 5 hours making your first pair, and have some fun! Anyway, hope this helps you some. If you need some help or have any questions, feel free to email me and I'll help if I can.

Thanks for the feedback guys! I appreciate it...Sounds like the software would be fun to have

I know what you mean, Omri! I had no idea they came in colors until I opened my xmas gift. I don't think it's just a special thing for a short while either...and I'm pretty sure they have some other colors too, like purple.

Hey, everyone! Turns out that Santa is most definitely *not* a whuffo!! He bought me a cool new blue Pro-Track for Christmas, and even dropped it off 2 weeks early ...got a chance to try it out yesterday...wow! very cool toy!! So, now my question is, should I ask for the JumpTrack software for my birthday in a few months? Is anyone using it & are you glad you got it? Thanks! Blue skies, light winds, Karen

Hi, all! I'm part of a 4-way rw team and we have some questions about how to count our points ('cause we're finally turning some!!

Hiya geckox! There's a write-up of the double-mal here: http://www.pierltd.com/new/product_descriptions/miracle_mike.htm ...and video from the ground here: http://www.pierltd.com/new/product_descriptions/cinepak_double.mpeg damn, he's coming down fast! very scary!! Also, I could be wrong on this, but I remember reading this post I almost bounced! awhile back relating an experience much like this one, but I'm not sure if it's the same person or not. Either way, sure glad he's still with us! Squares, Karen

ROFLMAO! @ landmissle...17 years of marriage, you still crack me up, honey! P.S. to LittleJumper: he's not kidding about Doug's nicknames! Doug would absolutely kick our butts if we ever told!! Blue skies, Karen

yep, that's me! I used to be out at the dz just about every weekend...but l've been putting in alot of hours at work the last few months so haven't been out much lately (& it's killing me!! hahaha ) What do you do normally..freeflying or rw? (not that I'm any good at either, I'm just curious!) Blue skies, Karen PS - Now what is this about sweet little Terri, hmmm??

The rain positively sucks!! Friday was so beautiful out, perfect blue skies w/light wind, & here we are stuck with the storm all weekend! How ya doing, lummy? I jump out at Skydance also...Steve (landmissle), & 2 of our best friends all went through AFF together last year. We mostly work on our 4-way RW skills, but we all like to throw some sitflying in there as well every few jumps. Always looking for others to jump with, so maybe we can hook up when the storm clears? (next weekend, hopefully!!) We've probably crossed paths before...I'm 5'9", red hair, lime green jumpsuit...Steve is about same height w/brown hair & any clothing he can find that will work for the day :-)...the 2 guys we jump with are twin brothers...Anyway, sure hope to meet you soon! P.S. I've been chatting online with LittleJumper too...she sounds really cool, and I'm looking forward to meeting her soon as well. Blue clear skies, Karen