Merrick

ROFL - And, don't forget to explain how the grippers act as static dissipaters... they keep you from getting electrocuted because of all the protons & neutrons in the earth's atmosphere. Oh, and how you have to dis-charge them with a dryer sheet. Blues! Merrick

Man, my wife and I both have been jumping a Z1 for over 2 years now and I've never heard any whistling noise... and she's never complained about it either. I have one of the older designs and she has a new one. *shrug* And, the only 2 times it's come open in Freefall were simply because it was already open (I forgot to close it... Doh!). I'd recommend one, the only complaints I have are 1.) if you use the inside dytter pocket it will allow your dytter/pro-track to fall out, when you have the helmet off ,once the pocket has been 'broken in' (however, sewing a small piece of velcro to it solved that prob), and 2.) you can't put a camera on it (that I'm aware of anyway). Other than that it's been the perfect helmet for me. Blues! Merrick

Does it really matter... cuz no matter where you have it, I'm sure it won't be as fun as "ELOY!" Blues! Merrick

Naah, I've been busy planning my defense against "operation Melons" should the other side finally dicide to continue as planned. Blues! Merrick btw: nice signature line. lol

Wow... gotta second that. Thanks everyone, it's good to hear you like our s**t! And trust me, JT needs all the extra Ju-Ju he can get. [shameless plug] FYI: We've had people send us their own closing pins, rings...hell, even HORSE HAIR to incorporate into the desings of the necklaces.[/shameless plug] Blues! Merrick

NOOOOO!! Don't tell me that! Like you it took me at least a week to get thru that game. I'm not even a gaming freak, but that damn Munch & Abe are addicting as hell. LOL Blues! Merrick

Yeah, that one was pretty damn funny!!! I imagine that we'll be getting a visit from DHS soon and get thrown in jail... especially since the last page had a picture of a tombstone & a huge blow-up spider & said, "I'm thankful for the 'graveyard' I live in." LOL Blues! Merrick

I know I haven't been around in a while, but I got home from work today, saw this and knew if anyone could appreciate it, you guys could. When I walked through the door today, Pam meets me with a little book that our son (7) had made at school today. Now, he's at that age where kids become kids and are no longer babies, getting smarter, developing their own personality, and learning to read and write. My face, gleaming with pride as I flip through the pages of this book that so eloquently expresses why and what Tyler's thankful for I get to about page four and and see this.... [cry] I'm so proud, I don't think I've ever really understood what being a father is all about... until this very moment! Blues! Merrick

Ya know, I honestly don't remember, but I'm 98% sure it was the "goo." But, I can't be positive. What's the difference, are they different products? Blues! Merrick

You can get the stuff just about anywhere, and it is quite pungeant so applying indoors might not be a great idea... personally, I wouldn't recommend it. I thought it would dry kind of 'rubbery' (for lack of a better word) and give me some extra traction in some of those slippery otter/caravan doors. Negative, the stuff dries hard and slick, and it also reduces the plyability in the bootie so they don't form to your foot as well anymore... mine slip off ALL the time. Wished I'd never used it, and I never will again. Blues! Merrick

Yup, I ordered mine custom from a company called Icarus Skydiving in South Africa for $650. I also bought 2 tempo reserves for $800 (that's $400 each ). There's definately something to be said for exchange rates! Blues! Merrick

ROFL - I know what Chuckie's talkin about... I saw the whole thing man, it was breast assault on the monkey, you were totally innocent. Blues!!

Yup, I did the same thing, went to wal-mart and got the biggest most durrable bag they had (which is also codura). My rig (packed or unpacked), two jumpsuits, change of clothes, shoes, Z1, Log book & a bunch of other junk will all fit in it.

BWAHAHAHAHA!!! That's pretty funny dude! There once was a man named jtval, He likes sex with midgets cuz he's not very tall, his c*ck still looks small in their frighteningly large hands, but none the less makes him feel like a man... he seeks them out just as fast as he can, and it makes no difference whether they're a woman or a man. So stand tall JT and bask in that glory, and good luck with all your midget whoring! Blues! Merrick

Where'd you go Slappie?? WB! Pam

I can't speak for anywhere else around here, but Raeford is a pretty awesome place. Plenty of camping, people are always bringing the dogs, there is tons of experience there, and some pretty cool parties. They have a bar & grill onsite, so really... [epiphany] you'd never have to leave! [/epiphany] Plus, SkymonkeyONE (& a bunch of other monkeys) and the Golden Knights jump there. Blues! Merrick

IAD jump out of a C-182... I remember my JM telling me that I was pale as a ghost as I was hanging onto the strut, then as soon as I let go my eyes went wide and I got this enormous smile on my face. Blues! Merrick

Sorry, guess I should have been more clear, I wasn't sugesting that it's OK to throw out hand signals in the midst of a 40 way... at that point I was thinking of 2 & 4-way coaching/learning dives. And, I was referring more to the pull signal than any other.... in fact, that's really the only signal I've ever seen in freefall. Blues! Merrick

I disagree... it's as cut and dry as penalty signals referees use in football to communicate why they threw their little yellow flag. Standardization in this case is just what we need. First, we need to start looking at the big picture, and get past students & jump schools. What happens when at 1000 jumps you're at the WFFC on a 40 way, or doing sit-transitions with a buddy and he/she, or someone, starts frantically pointing at you in freefall because your right riser is out of the container flopping around? Now if you've been jumping at one of these few DZ's that use a closed fist for a pull signal since you were a student, when the rest of the world is using the 'finger' no telling what you'll do or how you'll react. What about people like me who are lingering in between being in-experienced & experienced, just starting to get on good loads, and really learning a lot at a mere 90 jumps.... if I'm in the air f**king up, and someone gives me a legs out signal, I'm going to do what they tell me. Pam & I didn't even go thru AFF we took the IAD route, but I made sure I learned the AFF signals as well just for jumping with others... that way they can help me and I can help them if I'm ever in a situation where I can. If someone were ever to stick a fist in my face in freefall I wouldn't know what in the hell they wanted.... and I'm guessing there are several others out there who feel the same. A standard set of signals throughout all skydiving organizations is exactly what we need, that way there's never any question about what you should do. Blues! Merrick

Just thought I'd pass this on for those of you who may have missed it! (NWS - Not Work Safe). Blues! Merrick

Thanks guys, it's been a long time coming. I never thought I'd be in the position I was in, but I guess it happens to a lot of us. The job's not an IT job, and doesn't really pay quite what I want (but what job does right LOL), but it's a cool job with an amazing company, and the earnings potential is definately there. The job is as a bookkeeper/manager trainee for a very contemporary furniture business. The current manager is going to be retiring soon so they need someone to take his place. Plus, the company is growing BIG-TIME, their plan is to open at least five new franchises across the country within the next 2 years, two of which will open before December, and they mentioned that I may get to do a lot of traveling to train people how to run the new stores, it sounds like it's going to be a pretty cool job, at least I won't be stuck behind a computer 24/7 like some little codemonkey anymore... which the money aspect of my last job is really all I liked about it, so I'm cool with the field change. Thanks for the congrats all. JT: Come on down man... it'll be quite amusing to have naked midget walking around with a NY accent. and Kris, that would rock if you ended up out this direction, we miss jumping with you... I could teach you how to flail, and take out formations, I've gotten really good at it only doing 2 jumps or so a month for the past 7 months! lol Blues guys! Merrick

Blue Skies!!! The families are in my prayers. Merrick

Thanks, I appreciate it HH. We usually can sign out, disconnect (damn dial-up), then sign in again under the other user name (seems to not work without the disconnecting part), but now that's not even working :/

I just started jumping my new Hornet 170 and absolutely love it. It's very crisp in the turns, has light riser pressure, and has excellent flaring power.... it ROCKS! Now, keep in mind the only thing I really have to compare it to is my old sabre 190 & the few Sabre 170s I demod and it beats them to hell and back... no, these weren't sabre2's (which is what everyone compares the hornet to), but the price is what hooked me... you can't beat a canopy like this for the price. And, speaking of price, you might check out these guys http://www.icarus.co.za/ because I ordered a custom Hornet from them and given the exchange rate between the US and South Africa it only cost me $650 (BRAND NEW CUSTOM)... and I had it in my hands in less than 8 weeks. You won't be disappointed! Blues! Merrick

I def'ly need to visit California. You guys have the cool s*** out there! Would love to 'see' the dungeon! (better to play in it!) Pam