Namowal

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Everything posted by Namowal

  1. Namowal
    Thanks, Lisa & Squeak. Ironically, not long after I was "stamped" another instructor took me aside and said I didn't deserve it- -after 25 jumps, why didn't I know how and were to land? ( I was further than usual from the landing area when the canopy opened. I chose to land off when it looked like I wouldn't make it back to the correct area safely. ) But other instructors were okay with my choice. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.
  2. Namowal
    Thanks everyone!
  3. Namowal
    yo mean northern Mexico? My cousin works there. I've been told he's gotten some of the other workers piqued at him for telling visitors both sides of the story. (edited to clarify & add more information, fix formatting errors) My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.
  4. Namowal
    Wow, thanks for all the responses! I also appreciate the suggestions to keep health and nutrition in mind. Well, I was planning to give it a go last Saturday but a family member was having big health problems so I chose to postpone. Maybe next Saturday will be "A" day. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.
  5. Namowal
    I've been cutting back on food expenses to fund my skydiving hobby, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Any recommendations on cheap eats (in addition to ramen, peanut butter and mac 'n' cheese?) My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.
  6. Namowal
    Looks like double Ds to me. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.
  7. Namowal
    That too. When I see a plane take off (or come in for a landing) I'm suddenly an enthusiastic 5 year old. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.
  8. Namowal
    I'm old enough to remember: Push button light switches. "Normal" light switches that snap loudly when used (some of these are still around) 8 track tapes Drive in Movies Phonographs (including those with 78 and 16 rpm options) Drive up bank transactions that involved sending stuff through the a pneumatic tube Watching test a television test pattern in the wee hours of the morning as a kid, waiting for the station to sign in and show cartoons. Honorable mention: Watching skydivers on television and thinking "Why on earth would anyone do that!?"
  9. Namowal
    Thanks! That's nothing. In a similar photo I look like I've been stung by a bee. . Not sure what was on my mind. "Oh noes! If I pull the red handle I'll drop a whole foot!" Agreed. I'd rather do the check dive 20 times till I get it right than to be awarded an "A" before I'm safe enough to jump with others. Thanks! (My alti is turquoise in real life too!) My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.
  10. Namowal
    I'll chip in five bucks for the effort. Who knows? Maybe she'll convert to the blue side.
  11. Namowal
    Heh heh My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.
  12. Namowal
    You have insider information! I think the fact that said "cutaway" was only two feet about the ground made it more entertaining. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.
  13. Namowal
    I attempted my graduation dive. But did I pass? Inquiring minds want to know! My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.
  14. Namowal
    Sorry you had such a bad experience! It helps finding good instructors and doing some boat diving. This costs money, but like good scuba equipment, the extra money you pay makes the experience so much better! The instructor actually was a decent guy- I just don't think he realized I was truly stuck at first. The classes included both the beach dive (yech) and a boat dive. The boat dive was much more fun.
  15. Namowal
    There's a boogie called "I am ashamed of you people?" My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.
  16. Namowal
    Years before I was "Skydiving Duck" I was, briefly, SCUBA Duck. It wasn't pretty. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.
  17. Namowal
    Moving in next to an airport and then complaining about the noise makes about as much sense as having a picnic on train tracks and complaining that the train crashed the party. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.
  18. Namowal
    Right handed. That being said, I'm remarkably bad at telling the difference between left and right. I still have to stop and think okay, which hand do I write with.. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.
  19. Namowal
    I've been eating a little less and getting a little more exercise, but I still might see a doctor anyway. I don't have a scale, but I noticed my clothes weren't as tight. When I started the post yesterday, I was wearing a new pair of jeans I'd ordered to replace an older pair (same brand, same size). For the first time, I was alarmed- the damn pants were so loose they were almost falling off. What was going on? Then this morning I compared the waistline to the old jeans and leaned that the new ones had a waistline about three inches longer than the old ones. So while I'm shrinking, pants sizes seem to be growing. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.
  20. Namowal
    Well, you make a good point there! My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.
  21. Namowal
    Thanks for the responses. I made the mistake(?) of googling "unexpected weight loss" and was returned a list of scary diseases associated with it. Then I remembered that I didn't start losing weight until I started skydiving, so that might have something to do with it. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.
  22. Namowal
    I've been learning to skydive for about six months now, and I'm also about ten pounds lighter. At first I attributed the situation to nerves- for my first dozen or so jumps I was too nervous to eat much the day of the jump. Heck, even a day or so after the early jumps I had trouble eating. Nowadays I'm less nervous and eat more normally, but I haven't regained the weight. Not sure if I'm burning more calories by hauling a parachute over my shoulder a few times a week or if I should see a doctor to make sure nothing's wrong. Has this happened to anyone else? My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.
  23. Namowal
    It's very close to the actual impression one gets when flying their canopy. BTW: If you get hold of Skydive University's "Basic Canopy Flight" video, watch it - they show (in a very descriptive manner how you can find out where you are going to land. ("Find the spot that doesn't move (neither up nor down)") This is also a valuable tool, especially when you find yourself a little off the DZ. This topic might also be dealt with in other videos, but I can imagine your DZ has a copy of the one I mentioned. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look for it.
  24. Namowal
    Why, those are invisible "stealth" steering lines, of course. Might I add that I redrew the hands several times because I didn't like how they looked. Yet I left out the toggles. Tsk tsk. Thanks! My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.
  25. Namowal
    Thanks. I almost left it out because I thought it might be misinterpreted as me being treated rudely (which wasn't the case at all- they were very nice about it) but I figured it was so cartoony that people would guess that I was joking. I like when advice here comes with the "check with your instructors" reminder. Always a good idea. I'll check with them. Why, those are invisible "stealth" steering lines, of course. Actually that image took a long time to draw, with the perspective and me trying to get it to look something like the actual drop zone and beyond. Funny with all the attention to detail that I'd still forget a detail. I suppose I should have drawn the altimeter too. D'oh! My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.