rkillian

I know the feeling! About 2 months ago I moved from Southern California to the Northeast, and it's totally different up here. Forget good Mexican food; if you want it you'll be making it yourself. They do have a food up here that resembles tacos & burritos, but "resembles" is the key word. And make sure you bring your winter clothes because it's starting to get VERY cold. Yesterday I came to work wearing a turtleneck & sweater and everyone laughed at me & said I was in for a rude awakening if I think that it's cold now. And the biggest kicker of all for me.... you can't buy beer in CT after 8pm or on Sundays. What the *^%$ is that all about? Tomorrow I'm going back to Elsinore for the first time since I left and I've never been so excited to wear a short sleeve shirt, buy beer at 9pm, and eat good Mexican food. Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid.

Here's a picture our boy "Jet". We got him on Christmas Eve when he was 4 months old and he spent almost every day thereafter at the dropzone (until we moved last month). His daily ritual consisted of a swim in the swoop pond both before the first load and after the last load of the day, and every now and then he even got to participate in the evening BBQs - beer & all.

It was exactly two months ago this week that we packed up and left our home at Elsinore for the East coast. And for some reason, I thought that this would be easy & I wouldn’t miss California. I was wrong on that one!!! Don’t misunderstand me…. we’re doing well, love the East coast, love the jobs, making friends, and we’ve been having an overall good time, but even so, I’m starting to miss my old home. It’s so weird to go from living at the dropzone to never going to one! I definitely don’t miss my 95 mile commute to work, the 100+ degree days, or my old job, but I do miss sneaking out of work early to get in a sunset jump, jumping every weekend, having a beer after work with my dz family, and what became our routine Saturday night BBQs at the RV. I’m already counting the days until Chicks Rock when I can see my dz family and relive some of the good times from my past!

What's sad is that my rig is worth more than both of our cars put together. What's even more sad is that his rig is worth twice as much as my rig. Doesn't say much for the value of our cars.

Shark - You can add me to the "yes" list. I'm already counting the days; I can't wait to see everyone again! I haven't jumped since we moved, so you'll have to do a coach jump with me. Oh yeah - and we might even bring Jet with us.

I'd also suggest calling the animal shelter/pound in your town & all surrounding areas. Our boy jumped the fence a few months ago & didn't have his tags on at the time. I called all the local shelters/pounds & left a description of him; shortly thereafter we got a call from the pound two cities away. Good luck & I'll be thinking good thoughts for you. Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid.

For you pilot types, or other airline employees out there... have any of you ever tried to non-rev or jumpseat with your rig? If so, did you encounter any problems? I wouldn't think that non-reving would be an issue, but jumpseating I'm not so sure about. ********************************** Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid.

Congratulations Darcy!!! Hopefully I'll be able to do the same, sooner rather than later.... gotta find another job first though. Since you'll have plenty of time in the upcoming weeks, we'll have to get in a jump together before I move. Robyn Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid.

Hi Anniken. On Sunday afternoon we got shut down by CDF (California Department of Fire) because we were within 3 miles of a fire, but by Monday that fire had retreated to the other side of the hill. (Of course on Sunday night you could see the flames from the dropzone.) There was another fire up in Corona that made it's way all the way to the 15, but that fire was plenty far from the dropzone. It did make for an awful commute to LA though as the 15 was closed for a while. We were never in any real danger as the closest fire was the Elsinore fire which, while less than 3 miles away, remained on the other side of the 15. Come visit us again soon!!! Robyn Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid.

I live down at Elsinore and I'll be jumping on both Saturday & Sunday. Now that the time has changed, I hope to make a few sunset loads during the week as well. Of course that's wishful thinking & completely depends on the evening traffic. Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid.

Well Rich, by now you & Shark should be tearing it up in Vegas on your way to your new home. It was too bad the weather didn't really work out for us this past weekend, but Saturday night was still a blast. I'll personally see to it that your fridge stays adequately stocked. And next time Shark tells me to go to Vons, the first place I will head will be Albertsons. No cookies for you Mark! (just kidding of course). Enjoy the rest of your road trip and good luck to you & Ginny. We'll all see you in June for Bridge the Gap. Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid.

Well Rich... there really isn't too much that I can say other than you will be greatly missed by everyone at Elsinore; especially me. I owe so much to you - learning how to effectively back flip on exit , my 100th jump, my SCR, my first tandem, the Mr. Bill on this Saturday (no - you can't back out of it now), and above all else... an excellent friendship with both you & Ginny that I will forever cherish. Elsinore will not be the same place without you so you better come back & visit often. And don't think you're getting rid of me, because Ginny & I have already discussed my first trip to Texas. I think I may have to "officially" break in the new oven and pop out a few batches of cookies for this Saturday. Any requests Mr. Rich???? P.S. Just remember - you may not see me, and you may not hear me, but Ginny Patrol is on duty until your feet are firmly planted on TX soil. Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid.

I know how it feels to lose a quarter of the day on the road. I used to live 10 miles from my office, but last month I moved 90 miles away from my office (in LA traffic). After the first week of commuting I was a total wreck. My friend suggested changing my hours and investing in some good CDs. After taking his advice, my 3 hour drive each way is now closer to 2 hours and I'm much more relaxed when I get home. Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid.

I was thinking the exact same thing Darcy, but unfortunately I spent all my money on jello shots and can't afford to bribe anyone now. I just hope the pictures aren't too incriminating. Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid.

Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid.