craichead

Too cool, Michele! Good luck, and I hope you both get it!

Noooo! They're MY friends! None for you! They make me feel goooooooood... I think it's time for AndyMan to cut me off...but not before I go to physical therapy today! _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Just remember that vaseline is not condom safe! I recommended silicone-based lube in this thread: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=9143#9143 _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Happy Birthday, Chris!!! I'd go out and party with you and Ginny on your birthday, but I'm having a pretty good party here with my friends oxycontin and vicodin... _Pm P.S. - I would've called you while I was in the hospital, but my phone was working fine! __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Hello all! I'm now back at home, doped up on oxycontin and vicodin. It's really difficult typing one-handed when you're on painkillers! Surgery went well, but it took much longer than expected. They started at about 12:30 and finished at about 4:15. Very delicate stuff...apparently my injury was much worse than my doctor first thought. If my shoulder were a clock face, I had a tear in the labrum from 10 o'clock to 6 o'clock. It was all done arthroscopically, so I won't have any gnarly-looking scars. They put me under general anesthesia, which made me feel REALLY shitty after I woke up (cold, nauseated, dizzy, short of breath, etc.), so I stayed overnight. Luckily I also had a nerve block, so I couldn't feel or move my arm until the next morning. I asked my doctor to take some video (because if it's not on video, it never happened), and he also took a bunch of stills, all on new video equipment! So, I'm attaching a couple photos. The first shows the glenoid on the left, labrum in the middle, and the humeral head on the right...the plastic things are for inserting surgical tools. This is right before the doctor was going to tighten everything up with nylon string. The second photo, you can see the string attachment. I'm feeling woozy...gotta go lie down! _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Thanks to all for the good vibes and good wishes! Now I'm going to order a large pepperoni and sausage pizza for my "Last Supper" (before surgery). I wonder if Andy and I can finish it before midnight...I'm not supposed to eat or drink anything after midnight tonight. I'm like a Gremlin! _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Hehehe! Awww, thanks! I wonder if they'll let Andy stay overnight with me...hmm. _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Okay, so it's final. I'm having surgery on my right shoulder tomorrow at 11 AM (central time) at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. It's scheduled as outpatient surgery, but they might keep me overnight. Anyway, I hope this will fix my recurring shoulder dislocation problem, and I'll be able to jump next season! Please wish me good luck!

Like what? A meal consisting of a peameal bacon sammich with a side of poutine? _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

I'm arguing Ron's claim that neoprene insulates by trapping and warming moisture alone. Read his explanation on how neoprene insulates. See, you get that neoprene provides insulation by trapping heated water AND heated air. _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

I love Canadian bacon, myself... _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Hmm, I'd rather take freezing temps over hurricanes. But then again, we have a lot of tornadoes here in IL.

I think a better experiment would be to stand outside in sub-freezing temperatures. One hand has a latex glove on, the other a neoprene glove on. _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Thin surgical latex also traps water. Your body heats that trapped water. That heated water isn't being transferred to the surrounding water or the cold air. By your explanation, a thin layer of latex next to your skin would would work equally as well as neoprene. Are you saying that neoprene has no insulative (is that a word?) properties without the presence of moisture? _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

No, actually I didn't. Well, I wasn't one of those people. I just said it doesn't work for me. I also said that if it works for you, then go for it. Have you tried wearing latex gloves under normal gloves while skydiving in below-freezing temperatures? I do? If I do, then you seem to, as well. Can't take a fun, sarcastic joke (my last post)? _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Dude, if you want to try wearing just a pair of latex surgical gloves to protect your hands and a latex bodysuit on skydives with below-freezing temperatures at altitude, be my guest. _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

1) what made you start jumping / how you became interested? I had always wanted to do it for as long as I can remember. I had a fascination with flying--I used to make little round parachutes for my Lego men and also made planes out of Legos. 2) How long have you been jumping? How many jumps do you have? About two years. My first jump was April 21, 2002. I started student progression in August 2002. I have 26 jumps, and I wish I had more. Damn shoulder injuries (October 2002 and May 2004). Wish me luck; I'm having shoulder surgery this Friday. 3)What method of training did you do? Tandem progression: 3 tandem jumps, 7 AFF levels, and coach jumps to get to 20/25 jumps required for A. 4) how has skydiving changed you life? Well, I noticed that I had a lot more confidence after my first jump...I was willing to go out and try a lot more new things. The most major change--I met the man who is now my husband after I dislocated my shoulder. Not a bad trade-off...and he flies video! _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Yes, I understand this concept. But aren't wetsuits made of neoprene? And doesn't neoprene have insulating properties, which helps retain the heat that your body is generating to warm the water next to your skin? I doubt that you're going to get the same results scuba diving with a thin layer of surgical glove latex covering your body instead of a neoprene wetsuit. Latex isn't insulating. It may keep the moisture in and close to your skin, but a thin layer of leather (or nylon) over the thin layer of latex isn't that much more insulating, either. I can see how latex gloves under neoprene gloves would work, but if you're going to buy neoprene gloves, you might as well buy insulated (low bulk) windstopper gloves. A valid concern, as well. Part of my AFF training was in late fall, and my instructor gave me a pair of thin but insulated gloves after I complained that on my last (gloveless) skydive, I couldn't feel my hands or my toggles. When he gave me the gloves, I asked him, "What if I can't feel/find the handle with gloves on?" He said he would help me find it if I couldn't, and then had me do lots of practice touches on the ground, in the plane, in the air... I had no problem feeling the handle and pulling. If that sort of common sense doesn't occur to you (tactile ability of gloves for skydiving), that's probably another reason why somebody shouldn't be in this sport. As far as hooks are concerned...well, the EMS gloves that Andy and I wear have a tiny fastex clip arrangement, and they haven't snagged on anything (under and over the cuff of our jumpsuits). The Outdoor Research gloves have very small (and very weak) plastic triangles with a small gap in them to link them together. In either case, I'd be more than willing to cut them off. _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

So, do you have a pair of winter gloves, you know, for everyday use? Or do you just wear a pair of latex surgical gloves when windchill temperatures drop well below freezing? I think some people are missing a key point here--insulation. Wetsuits are made out of neoprene, which is a material that INSULATES, which plays a key role in keeping that trapped moisture warm. If wearing latex gloves under normal gloves works for ya, go for it. It doesn't work for me (and others), and I hate the feeling of moisture (cold or warm) trapped next to my skin. So, I wear a good pair of insulated (retains heat), "windstopper" (blocks wind, prevents windchill), breathable (wicks away moisture), grippy (won't slip off the floater bar and can pull hackey) gloves. Linked to them in my post above. I figure if you can afford to skydive, you can afford a decent pair of ~$25 gloves if the latex thing doesn't work for you. If I recall correctly, the original poster said that rubber gloves over shitty gloves weren't working. I kinda doubt that moving the rubber gloves to the inner layer would work for him, either. _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Wetsuit = neoprene Neoprene = insulating A thin layer of latex is not neoprene. It does not trap heat. All it traps is moisture. The only way that latex is going to retain heat is if you have some insulating material around it. So, you might as well buy a good pair of insulated gloves that will block out the wind. A funny thought I just had...would you go scuba diving in a latex body suit? Or skydiving in cold weather with just a latex body suit worn under your jumpsuit? I know some people who would, but I'm just not into that kind of kinky stuff. Clicky. Oh wait, even better! _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Well, latex gloves can be on for a long time depending on how long it takes you to get to altitude...30 minutes in an unheated C-182 is a long time to be wearing latex gloves. Your body and hands are constantly releasing moisture. Once you put on a latex glove, the latex will trap that moisture while the heat is lost. Then that moisture will freeze (or get really cold) in cold air, thus leading to colder hands. Yeah, I know you're supposed to wear the latex gloves under your normal year-round gloves, but thin, regular gloves don't have insulation, so they do nothing for heat retention. A good pair of lightweight, insulated, wind-stopper type gloves will cost less over years of use than buying a box of latex gloves every year. As Andy said, go to any mountain/outdoor store (trendy or not). Just because some places are trendy doesn't mean they're expensive...like, say, trendy $40 Neumann winter skydiving gloves. I have these gloves for skydiving: Outdoor Research Gripper Windstopper® Gloves EMS WindStopper Gloves _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

My husband almost forgets our anniversary AND he forgets how to spell my DZ.com name. He doesn't seem to be doing very well. _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Excellent reading material from Jon Stewart would be his new book, America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction. It's hilarious, and I'm proud to say that they used an image from the Chicago Historical Society, which I licensed to them (Page 127). They appreciated it so much that I got a free signed copy! _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Check out this thread on gear depreciation: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=426689#426689 _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

Heh...well, my story isn't quite as extreme, but a few nights ago, my hubby (AndyMan) rolled over towards me in bed (we usually sleep back to back), tilted my face to his, french kissed me and whispered, "You are so hot! I don't think I've told you that in a while..." Then he rolled back over and was sound asleep. I didn't know whether to laugh or swoon. Also, several months ago we had "half-asleep sex." The next morning he couldn't remember if we had actually had sex or if it was a dream. I *think* he tried to "attack" me last night, but neither of us remember because we were so tired. _Pm __ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)