arlo

my guess is JP thought you should've called them "instructors" and not "safety guys". i bet there's where the "errr" came from. :)

as do i...but i don't think anyone should pressure anyone else into doing it if they don't want to. i've spent bunches of time in the hospital - none due to my own incapacitation - and i'm sure there will be much more time spent there. anyone that knows anything about me knows that. but i do it because i think it's the right thing for ME to do. i'll not impose that on anyone else nor will i try to make them feel like they're a bad person if they choose not to. i can't imagine someone telling me i HAVE to go do something like that. arlo

i don't think it's right for people to try and force you to go to the hospital if you don't want to. every one has the right to make his or her own decisions about something such as this. forcing one's own agenda onto someone else then trying to make them feel like shit for it is not too cool - that's being judgemental. just because i feel it's right to give to charity or to help an old person across the street doesn't mean i should try and hold someone else to those standards. this falls along the same lines as giving. why do people give? is it so everyone else can see that they're doing it or are they doing it because they truly care? same sorta stuff. i'm really surprised at some of the responses, but then again, we're all different now, aren't we? fwiw, if you go to the hospital because you were "shamed" into it, then maybe you're going for the wrong reasons. go because you wanna go, not because you're pressured. arlo

really? maybe for some of the lesser primates, but for most of the more advanced ones, we would still be able to pick up items (using both fingerless hands), clap, move things, etc. my hands would not be rendered completely useless because my fingers were removed. but wait... i might not be able to wear a ring anymore. arlo

she love you longggggggg time.

shiiiiiiiiiiiiny.

dude. that was no rooster. it was a sandhill crane. nice meeting ya, btw. arlo

"i sure will be glad when this dang viagra stuff wears off. i thought for sure it'd have gone down by sunrise..."

precision used to with the raven saves....

enjoy your day, bo!

i figured as much, but it was worth a shot.

well i'm giving you guys ample notice. i'll be there this weekend. so if you need to run and hide, do so now. oren, are you cooking this weekend? arlo p.s. i think we're gonna destroy the muff trailer this weekend for donations, too. god help us.

flip a coin.

dude, you're already going into it with an attitude that you're gonna get hosed. not all dzs want to bend you over and lay it to ya. paragone rigging (the loft at zhills) is the place that i get my reserve packed because sally (owner, instructor, world champion, add whatever here and she's done it..okay, ALMOST whatever) is just damn good at what she does. she runs a very busy loft. but might i suggest that you call ahead or better yet, ship the rig to her that week minus the main and it'll be ready for you when you arrive. but going in all defensive and shit because of prior experiences isn't the best way to start a relationship with a rigger you're just getting to know. matter of fact, i've told sally this myself: she should be charging at least $10 more than she does for a repack. her prices haven't gone up in at least 5 years. her rigging is outstanding. i live in deland, have a roommate that's a rigger, but will drive the 2 hours to have her pack my reserve. so, be nice to her, take her some good chocolate, and allow paragone rigging to change that nasty mindset that all big dzs overcharge for their rigging. although i will say this: when i was out west two and a half years ago and had a reserve ride, i almost shit myself when i was charged $45 for an INSPECTION ONLY!!! that's what i pay here for a repack and i was going to be charged i think it was something like $70 at the "independently owned and operated" loft at the dz i was at. and if anyone wants to argue that "you get what you pay for shit" ... uh uh. not under this circumstance. suffice it to say that i will NEVER use the services of that loft again. if it means standing down from important skydives, then so be it. that shit is highway robbery. blues and have fun in the hills, arlo

ha! ask isaiah where HE got it from. i hear they make great b-day gifts.... goats rock. happy day after jari!! (to keep it on topic...)

HA! cuz my friend emailed me and said my nakedness was mentioned. so of course i thought i could contribute since i actually have seen myself naked...(but don't tell anyone! )

you're a smart man, oren. but i know that my naked body parts are safe with you around. jen, you'll have wireless access at the house as well. i think i'm gonna slip outta this thread now...

happy birthday jari.

alright. i may be completely full of shit here, but i was thinking that the reason for the classifications was to standardize the way the instructors are taught. i think i was told that you have to meet certain criteria in order to teach folk stuff. it's like a checklist. i'd even venture (no pun intended) to say its comparible to ISO 9000 requirements. i think it's also a proactive approach to some regulation that might come down the pipe. i'm pretty sure that the intent wasn't to make any money off it (believe it or not), ut more to get the CYA stuff in order and standardized so that instuctors at tunnel 'A' can transfer to tunnel 'B' and still work there without requalification, so to speak. because of all the tunnels going up, there will be alot of folks wanting to move to where ever because they like it there better. this sort of helps allow that to happen. of course, like i said earlier, i could be FOS (like this is anything new). arlo p.s. "don't kick the baby....." (classic, ron although i know this was based on a true story a few years back, i couldn't help the southpark/ike reference)

did you try calling and asking HER these questions? http://www.tunnelcoach.com/contacts/index.html alot of misunderstandings or lack of information can (most of the time) be solved by simply picking up the phone and calling the party in question. emails can get lost sometimes. blues, arlo

ahhhh yes. the ol' "panzer opossum living under the house" scenario. gotta love it. i think you should shine a light into the hole. i mean, come on. you've driven down 301 at night. those things dart out in front of headlights ALL the time. so if you shine a flashlight into the hole, that little f-er will not only run out of the hole, it will also jump really high and hit its little head on the closest hard object. then you can plug the hole. or cook another korean meal (with me there this time). eat lots of kim-chee. lots. after digesting a bit, use a little, oh how shall i put this, oxygen displacement in the hole. and if that thing doesn't come out, i say to just charge him rent and enjoy his company. but don't you kill it oren. those things are much more fun while they're alive. love, your other korean

that's interesting because both michael and rusty are really good 4-way players. of course some of the instructors are more versed at freeflying than bellyflying and even one of the better instructors has yet to make a skydive. blues, arlo

god knows it sure would be NICE if there were some minimum requirements, but unfortunately (as others have mentioned), anybody, and i mean ANYBODY can claim to be a tunnel coach and someone will believe them. one example: while i was working there last year, some dude with about 500-600 jumps from up north came down and conducted a "tunnel camp" for folks at his dz. i started asking him questions about his experience and stuff. after watching him fly in a not-so-stable fashion and damn near taking out some of his "students" i was appalled. i asked him flat out "do you think you're a good tunnel coach?" his reply: "absolutely!" uh huh. he was horrible and he didn't even know it and people were PAYING him for his coaching ability?! there are alot of people like this out there so do your homework. but on the flip side: there are some damn good tunnel coaches out there and not all of them are expericenced skydivers...most are, but not all.

how many jumps do you have on that hornet 150 and how are your landings? just curious about the downsize....

i think you should buy a container that fits the canopies you're jumping. is an NJ not small enough for ya?