Nightingale

the JMs at Perris Valley are WONDERFUL. If they hadn't taken so much time and effort to make sure I was comfortable with what I was doing today, I probably wouldn't be jumping. Instructors you have confidence in make a BIG difference.

well, after a plane ride back down last week... I passed level 2 today!!!!! I went down to the dropzone, actually not really intending to jump... still had those butterflies doing the macarena in my stomach. So, I just went to watch. I was sitting on the bleachers outside the school when I ran into John, who'd taken me on both my tandems. He asked if I was doing level 2 today, and I said I was a little uncertain, and just wanted to watch. I was then reminded that skydiving is not a spectator sport. He offered me a hand and helped me off the bleachers and we went into the school and I signed up for level 2. It was a weekday, so the dropzone was pretty dead. Which was good for me. Took a lot of pressure off. The instructors didn't have anyone else waiting, so we were able to take a lot of time, take things slow, and really make certain I was ok with what I was doing. My instructors were Shelly and Raoul. Raoul took me over to the table and we talked about what had made me wuss out last time. What it basically came down to is: 1. I didn't trust my gear. 2. I didn't know my instructors. 3. I was worried about my exit. To solve 1, he took me into the harness room and took a rig apart so I could see how everything came together. He even pulled the cutaway handle so I could understand how cutaway worked, and showed me all the connections on the reserve and how the RSL worked (but its a backup, so you can't depend on RSL!!! Pull the silver handle anyway.). He then got one of the reserve pilot chutes and showed me how the spring worked and all that... he did everything short of actually deploying a reserve. Mystery gone, issue 1 solved. Now that the gear wasn't quite so much of a mystery, we moved on to problem 2. By this point, I'd gotten to know Raoul pretty well. And Shelly was my other Jumpmaster. Issue 2 solved. Issue 3 was the plane. We were using the Otter this time, so it was the same exit as on AFF 1. Issue 3 solved. We then did my cutaway drills in the harness room. Raoul then left me with Shelly to run through the dirt dive. We went over the exit five or six times, then the forward motion, and ran through the dive with an altimeter programmed to tick down even though you're on the ground... press a button and tick, tick, tick, so you can see the dive in real time. All that went great, and then it was time to get ready. So, I got ready. Shelly and Raoul did my gear checks, and Raoul explained to me in detail exactly what he was checking for. Another gear mystery solved. So, we get on the plane. Shelly has me point out the three important altitudes (6000 ft, lock on, 5000 feet, PULL!, 2500 feet, decision) on the way up. And then its my turn. I got a couple of high fives and thumbs up from other jumpers, and we line up. I look at Shelly. She smiles. I ask if I'm ok, she says "yep." and I look at Raoul, and lean out, then in, and out and I'm flying! I had a good arch, good forward motion. Was a little too altitude conscious... look at instructors more. Lock on to altimeter at 6000 feet, not 6700. 6700 lock on is overkill. Pulled my own ripcord this time. Found it without a problem. Canopy deployed without a hitch. Thought for a second I had a stuck slider, but after a moment, it slid down on its own. The legstraps were a little uncomfortable, but not unreasonably so. I got to play with the parachute a bit, and then it was time to land. I had a little trouble with my flare on landing, only got down to 3/4, so I came in a little fast. Landed on my knees, but heck, I fulfilled the "land safely" requirement, so I'm not complaining. I just need to do a complete flare next time. Which is probably going to be on Monday. hehe. I love federal holidays... :) I bought my logbook today, and Raoul filled it in for me. I'm going to write my comments in it tonight, which are probably going to read "looking at the altimeter is good...but doing nothing but looking at the altimeter is boring. and remember to flare ALL the way on landing." Sigh...today was a good day! -N-

the seller should, in theory, shoulder a hefty amount of personal guilt. However, no one forced the jumper in question to purchase the canopy, no one forced him or her to not seek second opinions from others who are more familiar with the skills of said jumper, and no one forced the jumper to strap the rig to his or her back and jump out of an airplane with it. Responsibility for your personal safety ultimately lies with you, and you alone, because you are the one who has to deal with the consequences of your actions. -N- **DISCLAIMER** I am speaking in GENERAL terms and not referring to any specific jumpers, real or imaginary. clear?

I was raised Catholic. I have a family member who is a former priest. He left the priesthood because he couldn't tolerate the hypocracy of so many priests not practicing what the church taught. The issues I have with the church stem from the way they have placed ordinary human beings up on pedastals, such as priests, bishops, cardinals, and popes. These ordinary people have started wars in God's name (the crusades...) and actively protected child molesters in order to protect the church. Homosexuality is the norm amongst priests (and I have heard MANY firsthand accounts confirming this, from priests or former priests of at least four different orders, Jesuit, Carmelite, Order of Friar Servants of Mary, and Diocesan). They preach against homosexuality in church, and turn around and take part in homosexual relationships themselves. You are then required to confess your "sins" to these people, and they, in turn, ask God to forgive you. You ask another HUMAN BEING to talk to God for you. Why not just ask Him yourself? In my own life, I've chosen to be close to God, but not align myself with any church, because churches are ultimately contructs of man, rather than of the divine. -N- **note** I consider homosexuality a very valid lifestyle and actively work with the ACLU on GLTB issues to get GLTB folks the rights they deserve as members of society. I used the above example to illustrate the hypocracy of the church, and as an example of the church saying one thing and doing something very different. The above example was in NO WAY used as a slam against GLTBs.

hehe. thanks... always nice to know who's dropping by.

Most girls, when they say this, DO want to talk about it... an "I'm Fine" answer means you need to ask more questions, because at that moment, she's either hurt, angry, or upset, and needs a little TLC and needs you to question her a bit more to let her know that you're really interested in why she's upset, which lets her know its safe to answer. Personally, I don't do this. If I'm upset at someone, they KNOW why I'm upset. But many of my friends, and even my mom do the above. And, all this is explained in "Men are from Mars...". That book is a TOTAL cliche, but it is sooooo true. The different genders think and respond to things differently. That's just how it is... When a guy says "I'm fine." he means either one of two things. "I'm fine because I really am fine. nothing's bugging me right now." or "I'm fine because I WILL be fine if you'll leave me alone for a bit so I can deal with this issue by myself. Don't need or want help right now." The girl, thinking that the guy's "I'm fine" means the same as the girl "I'm fine", continues to pester the guy in an effort to get him to talk to her, therefore annoying the guy and making the situation worse. LOL.

I've since done one more tandem, last sunday. Going to try for AFF 2 tomorrow or sunday. probably tomorrow.

What I've learned from my own relationships and watching my friends and family in relationships: 1. don't try to change someone. Its like trying to teach a pig to sing. It doesn't work and it annoys the pig. (not saying men are pigs, of course, just making an analogy ) 1a. there are several things you can never change about a man: a. his family b. his friends c. what he's passionate about d. his favorite sports teams or the amount of time he spends watching them. if you have issues with either a, b, c, or d, you should probably consider moving on. 2. don't ever date anyone who's dated a friend or relative, no matter how hot the person may be. ain't worth it. 3. don't date someone you have to work with. being together virtually 24/7 ain't healthy. 4. quit looking for perfection. it doesn't exist. sooner or later, everyone's going to piss you off. Doesn't mean you can't patch things up. Just means that nobody's perfect. 5. if your significant other is doing something to annoy you, SAY SO. don't just expect them to fix the problem on their own when they don't even know it bugs you. (this is only over little things...big things, you either have to accept or not, and if not, move on) Most human beings can't read minds. 6. if it involves non consensual physical pain, it ain't love. move on. 7. just because someone says they love you isn't any reason to either sleep with them or let them borrow your car. 8. just because someone says they love you, it doesn't necessarily follow that they actually mean it. on the flip side, just because someone doesn't actually say it, it doesn't mean they don't. For some people, the actions are easy but the words are hard. 9. watch how someone treats the servers in a restaurant... its a good indicator. 10. we all do stupid things on occasion... find out the intent behind the action before passing judgement. many times, what we believe is a deliberate slight is merely a lapse in judgement on behalf of the other party. 11. as my aunt told me once "God gave men two heads and only enough blood to use one at a time." course, women have also been known to think with their below the waist bits on occasion. Doing stupid things because of lust is not a male-only trait, its a human trait. however, it isn't an excuse for breaking previously made commitments.

http://www.skydivewings.com/docs/news/ this place will actually make the mini backpacks to match your real rig. $40. Gotta scroll halfway down page for info tho. I just searched for "mini" http://www.miragesys.com/order/minibag.html here's the mirage site... they make mini rig marage backpacks... couldn't find one for javelin on google anywhere, tho.

hmm... doesn't look to me like the pic is real... if you look just to the upper left of nip #3, there is a little bit of pixellation, which makes me think its photoshopped... I like playing with photoshop, and pixellation like that sometimes happens when you cut and paste stuff, and its a pain in the ass to get rid of. then again, it could be real, and it could just be something funky with the digital image.

sheesh! I get a little buzzed after HALF a beer!

I was at a wine tasting a few weeks ago... tried a dessert wine that tasted like peach with a hint of pear... very good! very, very sweet, but very good. I also like a good chardonnay (sp?) or merlot.

All these "beer" posts are getting me thinking... I am 24 years old... and I've never gotten drunk. a little buzzed, but that's it... am I actually missing something?? Just curious.

My mom used to use tomato juice and vinegar. Wendy's solution is probably better tho.

Kenpo Karate - 14 years now.

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hmm.... doesn't sound like me at all... (Sagittarius). last time I had a drink (well, an alcoholic drink) was like 6 months ago! I always get stuck as the designated driver! I like to have a drink now and then, but I always seem to be stuck driving!

working fine for me

I didn't vote for Arnold... If Maria had been running, though, I might've voted for her! LOL

22 lbs in 6 weeks is a lot of weight... are you using any particular method? nothing wrong with the occasional chocolate bar... as long as its just an OCCASIONAL chocolate bar. I'll usually split something like that with a friend or colleague. Congrats on the weight loss!

if you're going to be the one jumping it, the burden of determining if the canopy is appropriate for you lies with you. in the end, YOU are the one strapping on that rig. Therefore, its up to you to do the research and make sure the equipment is the right equipment for you.

if you buy it its your own fault.

lol... I was going to have a "yes on recall" and a no option as well, but the poll didn't give me that many choices... and I forgot to uncheck the multi answer box.

so... who was your choice?

so you have to wait til april for AFF, if I read your posts right.... in the meantime, do some tandems beforehand... your jumpmaster can let you practice canopy skills and some freefall stuff. On my last tandem, we basically did a level 2 skydive, but with the instructor strapped to me instead of holding on. We worked on forward motion and did everything you were supposed to do for level 2. course, it doesn't actually count for level 2, but when I do my lev 2 this weekend, I'll have already gotten some good practice in.