TriGirl

Members
  • Content

    2,336
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    20
  • Feedback

    0%
  • Country

    United States

Everything posted by TriGirl

  1. It's never too late to bring beer for a past beer requirement, but sooner is better than later. Bring some next time you go, then bring it again when you get your license.
  2. As for your container/harness system, I agree -- definitely get measured. I tried to buy used gear when I was first looking, but soon realized that everything for sale at the time was made for someone much larger than me. I would not have saved money because I would have had to have the harness re-sized anyway. Additionally, the benefit of your instructors' advice will give you an idea of the range of canopy sizes you are likely to jump over the next several hundred jumps. Again, with the used gear, I couldn't find a container to fit the range of canopy sizes I plan to use over the next 10 years. For these two reasons I ordered a new container and harness. However, I was able to find a great deal on a used canopy -- exactly the size and model I was looking for, in colors I don't hate. Again, I presented all of my ideas to my instructors and my rigger and asked their opinions. This process took about 6-8 months once I was serious about looking, but it resulted in a comfortable rig that I love wearing, and a canopy I love to fly and is not too difficult to fit into the container (I'm still at the upper end f my canopy size spectrum). Bottom line: don't be in such a hurry to get your own gear that you waste money or put yourself in danger. The extra time spent talking it over and checking out your options pays off in the long run. If there was one perfect container or one perfect canopy for everyone, the others would cease to exist. Good luck on your A, be safe, and HAVE FUN!!!
  3. It was funny to read your post, because that's how my brain was working. I was waiting for the nerves to hit. "Maybe when I get to the DZ." Nope. "Maybe once they tell me it's my turn." No again. "Maybe when I see other jumpers leave the plane." Once the fun jumpers left the plane, I did not get nervous -- I thought, "me! me! me next!"
  4. That's awesome, Paul! Enjoy!
  5. You mean Mark's a biker? I thought he just let it sit in the driveway so the neighborhood kids would think he's cool. He does break out the bike occasionally but for this party he will be flying the flag in
  6. Understatement of the week. I was laughing so hard I cried! to the OP: I found this on Cafe Press -- unfortunately SO true for many parents. http://www.cafepress.com/+no_more_skydiving_infant_bodysuit,292707318 Other onesies with the standard skydive quotes on them were just plain funny -- like "I just did a 3-way with your girlfriend", or "I do my own stunts". See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!
  7. Here in Turkey we had a normal winter. Spring seemed to start exactly on schedule (day before the equinox it was like someone flipped a switch!). However, yesterday we got another half inch of snow. Big puffy flakes for about an hour! However, I am very much looking forward to going home to Florida in a couple of months. Usually, my hibiscus gets destroyed by 1-2 nights of freezing temps, going from about 5' tall back down to almost nothing. With this year's "Endless Summer," it should be in great shape!
  8. Two weeks ago I went to the DZ here in Turkey. I took Feb & March to share, since no one here gets Parachutist. Everyone loved Duck! Lucky for me, many of the jumpers speak excellent English, but were still concerned before reading it that they might not "get it." Of course, that didn't matter! Skydiving Duck speaks to all skydivers. Even the 18-mo-old little girl (who speaks better Turkish than I do) was mesmerized by it.
  9. Something I learned decades ago when I started living on my own: raw veggies are CHEAP!!
  10. Many militaries (and military conglomerates, like NATO), have a Lessons Learned database. You draft a plan or standard procedure based on your educated guesses. When they have an exercise, or actually have to put that plan/procedure into action, you learn a lot from trial and error (or new variables that you didn't know to plan for). Afterward they brainstorm all those lessons learned, compile them into a comprehensive review, and discuss as a planning team which lessons to convert into changes in the plan. That final report goes into a certain format and is entered into a Lessons Learned database. Then, other military organizations writing similar plans/procedures for similar events can check the database using key words and categories before trying to re-invent the wheel. It's still a cumbersome process, not everyone who needs it has access or knows how to access it, and different databases hold HUGE amounts of data, but if the lessons of disaster relief forces helping out in Japan during the tsunami might help forces headed to the next earthquake in Haiti or Thailand to update their own disaster/evac plan in some way, then it is an incredibly valuable endeavor indeed. The trick is to design the database so that you have organized sections and subsections, and a form to fill out (instead of one long report written in prose), to normalize the input, thereby making the data easier to filter. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!
  11. Well, technically, there is no such thing as a "1-month" ANNIversary (lawyers/latin speakers can break down this word). Just like "first annual" does not exist, as "annual" means it is something that is being repeated each year. Aside from that -- guys who want to send a huge bunch of roses after being together for just one month? I wonder about guys like that. Now, if he wanted to send you a bunch of roses to make your day a little better, since you're sick and obviously in a bad mood... well, that's an entirely different story.
  12. ...until you notice that there are at least 3 ethnicities represented in that photo? See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!
  13. It's funny -- Spring came to Ankara pretty much right on schedule. This week we finally got out of the freezing temps (actually comfortable), and the skies are lovely blue. I hear we're even going to get some rain this weekend to wash out all the nasty salt and coal residue left over from winter.
  14. My April Parachutist arrived yesterday. As soon as I saw the full-page ad for this, I knew I would have to go! Can't wait.
  15. I agree, Italia. Ne pas la Suisse. I think he meant Turkey. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!
  16. I first heard of it when I was home last, and saw the movie trailer. My sister informed me that the movie was based on these books, so I bought them all for my Nook. I read all three of them in about 2 months (I'm kind of busy!) I thought they were really well written. I knew at the time of purchase that the intended message was to teach teens about the effects of war. However, once I started reading, I thought they delivered that message to anyone. From the trailers, I have high expectations for the movies. I just hope mmy expectations aren't so high they can't be reached. We all know the book is always better than the movie, but here's hoping the movie is on par. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!
  17. Before the Afghans kill the next six Americans over this massacre I would say. Yet, I don't see the uncontrolled, homicidal response by the masses over this atrocity. I've seen reports of protests, but they're orderly, controlled demonstrations venting frustration and opinion. Not targetting individual service members for assassination in retaliation. Although I'm not exactly surprised by the lesser reaction to these innocents being murdered, I'm still appalled that a mistake over which bag is trash sparks days of violent protests and mass murder, while the wholesale slaughter of innocents in their beds barely registers outside the immediate vicinity. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!
  18. I beg to differ. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!
  19. Be sure the policy covers such injury/emergency treatment first. Otherwise you're still paying for that $2K torn ACL. Also, definitely ask this question before signing a contract: if the pet dies during the contract duration, do you still have to keep paying the insurance? Seems like a silly question. I had heard of that before, and then my sister bought insurance for her dog. About 4 months later her dog had an accident and died. The insurance did not cover any of the dog's emergency care (it was for routine treatments only, it turned out), AND she had to continue to pay during the rest of the contract term. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!
  20. My cat always goes nuts if the carrier is closed. When we travel, I open the carrier. He'll wander around the car a bit, then go right back into the carrier and go to sleep. As long as the door is open, he's relaxed. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!
  21. Is this one of those raffles in which some of us can participate from afar? Unfortunately, this is the closest I can get to participating in the boogie. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!
  22. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!
  23. ...but the pig thing ends after 30 seconds. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!
  24. TriGirl

    Cheese :-)

    I've never been a real fan of port, but had a lovely experience at a dinner party recently. When I tried to decline the port after dinner, my host insisted I have some, because according to him it would go beautifully with the big hunk of cheese at the center of the cheese course. He was right! The cheese was Stilton. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!