skydiver30960

My girlfriend, her friends, and her family all live in D.C. I felt like she was in the crosshairs every day this asshole was running around with his little mini-me creating mayhem. SO: I've always been a fan of eye-for-an-eye justice. Put a lowjack on him (along with a couple surveillance teams just in case) and tell him to go about his regular life. Then, one day down the road, next week next month next year (who knows, that's the fun part) while he's pumping gas or leaving the Home Depot or any other scenario one of his victims was killed doing, have a military Sniper team bust a cap in his ass. I mean that literally, hit him in the ass or leg first, let him squirm a bit, then go for the kill shot. Tell him all this is going to happen, just don't tell him when it will happen. Let him live out the rest of his life in the same kind of fear he put into the hearts of all the people in the D.C./NOVA area. Nuff said.

Ripped Fuel (like everything else) used to have Ephedrine in it. The stuff REALLY worked for energy boost, but on the other hand people's hearts were exploding and stuff so the FDA pulled it off the market. I was taking 1/6 (yep, one sixth) what the bottle wanted me to take and it was making my heart dicky, so I quit it. Now that ephedrine is taboo most of the Ripped Fuel, Hydroxycut and stuff like that is mostly caffeine and green tea and other stuff like gensing. They've definitely lost most of their kick, but at least you won't die. As for the creating and caffiene offsetting each other I can't say for sure. Sounds plausible, since creatine helps you retain water in your muscles, while caffeine dehydrates you? Not sure on this one... Important thing is to use what works for YOU. Make sure you're getting enough protein supplementation, your diet should provide for 2g protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Other than that, stick to what seems to work for you.

At least your "mood" doesn't have you listening to "prison sex"

YES YES YES !!!! Skybytch you ROCK! I've been jamming to that CD for a couple weeks nonstop now. I highly recommend the disc, not nearly as whiny as their past work. Their remake of "Saturday Night" kicks ass, but "Figure You Out" is just the best "it ain't makin' love, it ain't havin' sex, it's f**king!" song I've heard in a long time. Elvisio "girlfriend is in trouble next time I visit" Rodriguez

Shweet. Thanks, just what I needed.

One of the guys who taught me rigging once said "the Senior ticket is really just a 'license to learn'" and I've always thought that was kinda true. I'm always finding new ways to improve technique that results in a more confident, cleaner-looking, and easier-packing reserve. Here's one I need a little work on: dog-boning. (At least that's what I've heard it called in the past) It's just one of the things I never got great at: leaving enough fabric exposed at the sides of the mouth of the freebag to help fill the corners of the reserve pack tray. It helps create a pocket for the Cypres and moves a precious amount of pack volume to the outside of the pack job, which always makes the rig close better. I also figure that it would put the stabilizers into the wind quicker, which could only help speed up deployment. Does anybody know of any websites or particular packing instructions that offer good pics of how to get good dog-bones on the freebag? Thanks for all the help; Elvisio "new dog, new tricks" Rodriguez

Last year I bought a Sharpchuter with all the CRW/demo bells and whistles: flag bag, split stabilizers, split slider, crw lines, and of course the retracting PC. It's a good canopy (for what it's designed for, not much on the swoop pond) but I'm kinda bummed about the retractible PC. It's a pretty neat installation, all internal so it looks pretty and stuff, but there really isn't enough bridle. I guess that there is only so much bridle that can be taken up by the system that it limits the total amount of bridle available to you. This creates two problems for me: 1.) The amount of bridle after the pin (between pin and PC) is WAY short, like only five feet or so. I haven't had any trapped in the burble YET, but I'm just waiting for the inevitable. It teaches you to be forceful with your PC throw. I'm thinking about adding a couple feet of extra bridle between the end of the bridle and PC, but that kinda defeats the purpose of the system, doesn't it? 2.) Even when it's in the bag and fully cocked, there's BARELY enough bridle between the bag and the pin to get the pin to the closing loop. Worse, as the canopy settles and fills the nooks and crannies it wants to pull back into the bag, worsening the situation with the pin. This makes me SUPER nervous with regards to canopy-out situations in the plane (or worse). I'm definitely not bashing Flight Concepts; I think it's all put together well and the problems I'm having are just the shortcomings to the system. My point is, the retractible PC is great for crw and demos, but as far as jumping as a regular, every day, work or play canopy... maybe not.

On PD canopies I like to compare the number of signatures on the card to the number of slashes or X's on the TSO card on the rig. You can mark the card without opening the rig, but getting to the panel is a little bit tougher...

Dude, being unemployed ROCKS. Take the time you have left to save a little ching, figure out how to make the unemployment $$$ go as far as possible, and HAVE FUN. I've been out of a job since Jan 1 and lovin' it. Elvisio "on the government dole" Rodriguez

Woah, woah, woha! Let's not be too hasty here, ma man! Sometimes, traditions like the Elvisio-way just cannot be denied, regardless of marital/romantic status. ...besides, if the response that I've had for PAST Elvisio-ways is ANY indication of the response for FUTURE Elvisio-ways, my relationship with my girlfriend isn't in any danger whatsoever. Elvisio "jumpin' solo" Rodriguez

She's about 5'10", brown hair and green eyes, and pretty hot. She's a bit of a hassle, but for the most part she puts up with my skydiving and the sundry crap I put her through. So although she can be a pain at times, I think I'll hold onto her. Elvisio "brownie points" Rodriguez

I'm with skyyhi on this one. My internet-based email does a great job of filtering out spam. Not perfect, but way better than nothing. Email is one of the few (relatively) free things we have in this world. I'm sick at the thought of having to pay money in addition to being bombarded by online advertising and popups and all the other crap we have to put up with. I might consider paying if the companies did away with the advertising and popups and such, but if you think that'll ever happen... Elvisio "not holding my breath" Rodriguez

Goggles are like damn near every other piece of skydiving equipment: what fits me might not fit you. We all have different size heads (don't even get me started on how to hijack the thread with that statement) and goggles all fit differently. I've worn the hell out of $7 goggles and thrown some megabucks eyewear in the "for sale" pile after one jump. Right now I'm wearing the Flexvision. I got hooked on them when I started doing tandems. They DEFINITELY do not rank high on the "cool" scale but they work (for me) and they're DIRT cheap. Not saying that they'll work for you, just that you don't need to spend big bucks to find something that works. My suggestion: go to a good gear store, boogie, or whatever and try on a variety of goggles. Find a pair that fits and try 'em out. Worst case, run around the DZ and try on everyone else's to find something that fits. Elvisio

I'm unemployed. And LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT. I'm lucky: no wife, no kids, decent unemployment benefits, no house payment, and later this month I'm moving in with my girlfriend, which means 1.) Nookie MUCH more frequently than one weekend out of the month 2.) don't gotta pay rent, don't gotta pay utilities, etc, etc, etc I thought I would be going apeshit with all the free time, but the fact of the matter is I'm keeping busy enough with hobbies and such. Going back to work (maybe next week, next month, next year, who knows) is going to SUCK! Elvisio "leech on society" Rodriguez

Hey Layton, or anyone else who works for the USPS... BTW I love the idea and have started stuffing the prepaid envelopes. BUT I worry about something when it comes to mailing something big like a rock or brick: The whole idea is to stick it to somebody we don't like (spammers) while helping out somebody we do like (the somewhat ailing USPS). My question is: are we sure the companies have to receive and pay the postage on these items? Or do the companies have the right to refuse receipt on the obviously malicious packages and leave the USPS stuck with the cost of hauling my dirty underwear and old coffee grounds halfway across the country? Elvisio "it's fun to go postal" Rodriguez

Sorry to hijack but... INDYZ! I totally dig the signature line. A fellow Possum Lodge member, I see. Excellent... Elvisio "Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati" Rodriguez

Ok, the thread about changing batts out every 500 jumps reminded me of something we did at my first DZ on a rainy day. We checked out the actual voltage going across an old set of batteries and saw it was (if I remember right) around 2.7V (according to a voltmeter), or somewhere in the neighborhood of twice the voltage of a regular C-cell. Well one of the guys at the DZ had a Maglite that took two C-cells, but was really impressed with the candlepower of the 4-cell Maglites. A quick trip to Wal-Mart yielded a replacement bulb for a 4-cell flashlights... drop in a couple old Cypress batts, and viola! A 2-Cell flashlight bright enough to signal orbiting Space Shuttles! Elvisio "pack rat" Rodriguez

My shoot-from-the-hip suggestion on this one is not to mess with it. Even if you don't have an RSL installed, the extra length on that one side really won't make a difference when it comes time for you to cut away: it's only a couple inches and you're pulling that handle so fast (thank you adrenal glands) that it's gone in no time. PLUS, I would consider the cutaway handle to be part of the reserve system, therefore a part of the TSO on your rig, and therefore something you should definitely NOT modify. Drop a dime to the manufacturer, but I have a gut feeling what their answer will be. Blues; Elvisio

In college I, well, I guess you could say I dated her... point is, I "spent some time" with a girl who was HOT, like SUPER HOT, like WAY out of my league. As most men will agree is always the case, she turned out to be psycho. Oh well, thing is that she had these great proportions, but it was just the way her body fat was distributed. She never spent a day in the gym, and (unfortunately) her body showed it. She looked great in a swimsuit or tight jeans, but she was soft all over (for lack of a better term). There is just something to be said for a PROPER amount of muscle tone on a woman. In three words, I dig it. A girl who is naturally skinny is nice, but one who shows some muscle tone and works to look that way is MUCH better. I agree totally with the overall point of the previous posts here, that chick superbodybuilders are a bit scary. But a girl with nice abs, shoulders, back, and (yes) arms will rock my world. I like that fact that she looks that way, and the fact that she's WORKING to look that way suggests to me that she'll KEEP working to look that way down the road, which suggests good long-distance potential. If I'm going to spend the rest of my life taking care of myslef, I want a woman who will be doing the same. Elvisio "I always break the skinny ones" Rodriguez

But apparently enough proof for her to be found guilty in a court of law. She's GOTTA do time. If you or I pulled this crap we'd be breaking rocks and showering with our backs to the wall for sure.

One good trick I learned for space-challenged riggers is to inflate the canopy one cell (half-cell, as it were) at a time with a floor fan. Keep the fan close to keep the cell inflated, stick your head in there and check things out. You can check top skin, bottom skin, crossports, the whole shebang. You have to rattle the canopy around a little to make sure it inflates all the way back to the tail, but overall it's a pretty easy method if you can't hang the canopy. Doesn't do much for inspecting lines, continuity, or connection points, so make sure you check them out on their own once you're done with the canopy.

When I was in college I bought a pair of Smith and Wesson police issue cuffs to use as a quick-and-easy bike lock. And OF COURSE they were put to use in the bedroom. Not bad, but the "ties knotted to the bedpost" approach gives a position that's more comfortable for a long-term "police investigation". It's cool, just remember that when you use the real thing, the consequences are dire if you lose the key! Elvisio "you have the right to remain silent, but it's more fun if you aren't" Rodriguez

Foster's OILCANS! Elvisio "big ass beers ROCK" Rodriguez

good call, I stand corrected. Gad, I've never been jealous of a cigarette pack before... Elvisio "button on a fur coat" Rodriguez

Yeah, no, not like that. It was really cool with (reasonably) intricate designs and stuff.