Airhead

What is that has been said? That it is Six (or is it seven?) Levels of Separation...Or something like that(?) that connects someone from anyone else in whole world...!?! By the way, has anybody ever seen the movie by a similar title? I think Will Smith was in it...I always thought I'd check that movie out sometime...

...' Mornin'! Or should I say? ...' Evening? Can a Second-Gen.American jump in here too? - Lila.

1 MAYBE 2...Still on AFP - jumps are still three $$$ for me to pay EACH JUMP!!!

Hmmm... I don't know what the DZ bunch call me yet, not to my face anyways! But I have been called(!) a lot of things... sassy, stubborn, crazy and (on occassion) ditz and weird. The last 2 are usually 'cause somebody doesn't have a sense of humor - or doesn't appreciate mine! - Lila.

Very cool excerpt from Into Thin Air. I read that book too a couple of years ago. I hiked the small 'mountain', Mt. Washington, in Massachusetts a couple of times. But it was basically just a long day-hike. But a good climb is really invigerating! In regards to atmospheric effects, Above Ground Level, at what altitude do physical symptoms start to exhibit themselves? What precautions need to be taken? Hey, when it comes to atmospheric changes, Below Sea Level: It's what? every twenty feet or so the pressure changeson your brain and blood increasing the nitrogen level in your blood, and there by changing descending-ascending times?? I read somewhere? that for every "atmosphere" in depth, the effect is like one Martini drink on the brain- thus a term: "the martini effect" in scuba diving. Is there a similar effect in high altitude skydiving?

Hiya Kev. Yeah, Nevada Barr is from Miss. I gather she worked as a Nat'l Park Ranger on the Nachez Trace in Miss. I'm reading all her books right now. All are based in some Nat'l Park- and often include some sort of physical sport, risk and mystery, too.

It is really reassuring to understand the WHY of learning a particular technique. And I actually DO understand why I need to learn how to do the front and back flips and barrel rolls, NOW, too. THANKS everyone for your sage & experienced words of wisdom!!!*SIGH* I think that there may always be something new to understand and learn... SO, what exactly is meant by maintaining aircraft heading?

THANK YOU! Lolie

Both have their risks, but for some reason not being able to breath scares me on a completely different and primal kinda level...It seems easier and more natural to want to be like a bird than a fish! ...Ya know what I mean? But I want to be open to checking it out scuba-diving in the future. It's really surprising how many people are in both sports even though they seem so different, they must actually be really quite a lot a like!

Very interesting! I may try it out to take it up TOO come warm weather OR next year!

Yeah, yeah, yeah... Leave to THE Airhead to start a thread to make you think. I love the IRONY-from a smart, adventurous woman like me. Go figure, now...Does that make a whole lot of sense, now fellas? Can't ya be a little more creative and thought provoking in your initial threads? Gotta go now, but will give you lots of time to get creative...Will check back in tomorrow 8AM. HA! It's a challenge! - Lila.

I'm curious about some the similarities between the different diving-sports...Do you scuba AND sky dive? I know people (family included) who scuba. Can you compare for me, or tell me what's the appeal? Here is another cool quote from the mystery-adventure writer Nevada Barr's book, A Superior Death (pg. 68): "...Divers, the serious ones with a lot of dives to their credit, had a different way of looking at life. Not as if it were cheap -they strove to stay alive and risked a great deal to keep each other alive- but they seemed to grasp a connectedness that eluded most people, a sense that life and death were two parts of the same whole, like the crests and the valleys of a wave emerging from the same sea...This realization- if it was a realization- created as many behavior patterns as there were divers; from protective zealots...to hard-living, hard-drinking party divers..." Doesn't that excerpt remind you of skydivers, too?! Do you think it's the nature of high-risk sports that brings about certain behavior characteristics, OR is it the personalities that draws certain people to high-risk sports?

Haven't been able to get in a jump since the end of Sept! Looking to change to a different DZ this weekend & finish up my AFP there. My 1st AFF JM is working outa there and is willing to schedule his availability (unlike someof the staff at my current DZ) to help me

Bunky, You are truly an ARTIST!

Well you jumped into this thread, man - at least ya gotta have an opinion on it. Currently I am single & not involved with anyone BUT I gotta an opinion on this one! I think it might be difficult if your love interest was not in the sport. Skydiving is a passion. If your love doesn't "get it" there is gonna be conflicts and trouble in paradise!

Here's something different...And it is fun to experiment with our hair isn't it? About a month ago I had medium golden blonde AND red hair colors applied over foil on different sections of my hair. This technique can add a lot of interesting and pretty highlights.

Here is another student lurking and taking notes...Thanx for the very good tips!

I'm in AFP & jumped at only one DZ. But I am considering changing DZs to finish my training at a more "compatable" place. My problem has been that I need more dependable and available AFF JMs, so I CAN JUMP whenever I have the time&$ to do so. Now that it's getting cold I need a DZ that'll be open longer too. I'm also starting to check out other DZs in anticipation of being licensed and able to jump where-ever I want to... probably some time next year.

HEY, 'WOLF! No, I didn't stay 'til the pumpkin dropped... How cool, though! From how high up did they drop it? The skydiver equivalent to the dude who smashes mellons with the sledge, huh?!

Hi, SKyrose! Yeah, it was Mary who sold me my much sought out logbook! Yeah, it seems like a very small and personable DZ - COOL too to have that Plane INSIDE the house part of the DZ!! How did they get it in there? Or did they build around it?! P.S. How much land is there to the landing area? I couldn't tell where the DZ started/stopped from the surrounding farm land. Thanx! I'm sure that I'll see ya around sometime.

Help! I feel like I'm lost in DZ LaLa-Land trying to figure out Dropzones all by myself - basically just going on intuition, vibes, atmosphere. I really need in-put from others! Saturday: I got copies of AFP jumps I've made in one DZ, checked out Gobles where I bought a logbook (yeah, finally!) and then drove way down *sigh* to check out the potential at Napolean - Hmmm, really got some weird? vibes there, but can't tell ya exactly why?! I had gone to Napolean BECAUSE I thought one of my JMs was doing some AFF training THERE w/some students I had been in ground school with at a different DZ. WRONG! My mistake, he's working out of Skydive Michigan in Marshall, Michigan. What's the Marshall DZ like? Anybody jump there wanna tell me about it? I live about an hour north of Grand Rapids.

I try to do yoga every AM- but honestly some days I practically haveta roll outa bed & hit the floor running & I'm out the door! But in addition to AM yoga I try to get in a good bike ride at least a coupla times a week, too. And occassional rough-housing with my 7-year old can really be work out too!

Hiya! Between this weekend and next I'm gonna be checking out different DZs to switch training to: Possibly Great Lakes or Napolean. What's Tecumseh DZ like? Let's hope that this cold front moves on outta-here...and we get really nice extended Autumn and another milder winter here!

I like it cooler, too. Put off turning the heat on until last weekend when a nasty cold front moved in...the First Freeze! Aw, couldn't really put off turning on the heat much longer. If it's cold enough outside that you see your breath in the air, 70 or so is (usually) toasty enough, and 65 at night will keep ya warm enough if ya got downe or quilt to cozy under.

The gears are being put into motion...I'll (probably?) move on! So I guess it's about the time to check out the other DZs w/in driving distance. Thanx... See Ya! -Lila.