RumBum

So what is the answer to the researcher's final question: 'Are people who are satisfied more optimistic because they are satisfied and thus more ready to take risks? Or is someone who is not afraid of risks a person who takes their life into their own hands and shapes it the way they want to?' You can answer it as relevant to skydiving, not financial affairs, since this is a skydiving forum after all. For myself, I am happy because I skydive and have fun with life. I have been unhappy in the past with a very sedentary life, so I choose option #2.

Ditto. I had every album by GNR. Even the Spaghetti Incident. The Cure was huge too in my tape box.

How about Little Mama or Hot Mama for someone with kids. My hubby calls me his bunny. I call him my romeo. Sometimes I call him Suger Pop. When we have kids I will definately ask for Little Mama.

Thanks, NtheSeaOrSky, this is a great article

I have a possibly stupid newbie question (only 2 tandem jumps done, am studying for AFF). I totally understand cutaway and pull reserve, but is they guy saying the main could be REPAIRED by using a knife to cut the offending line? Then I guess you could still fly the main in with one broken line but a properly open canopy? Do most skydivers carry a knife for this kind of situation?

So is the question..."are all skydivers crazy risk-takers who leap before they look?" (punny)

this thread has given me a new purpose in life!!! ROFLMAO!!!!!

As a matter of fact that picture WAS taken at the Bacardi factory in PR! I am so glad to know someone recognized it! I went on a scuba trip there last year. The rum was great and supercheap!!! I am still nervous about tomorrow but it feels good to have e-support! I guess I'll just nonchalantly throw up before getting on the plane and then do the best damn jump I can do.

I did my AFF ground school last weekend and got a little discouraged. The teacher was very knowledgable but I think we just had different teaching/ learning styles. I really want to learn this but I just need some patience and TLC. I mentally understand what moves I am supposed to be making but sometimes I just have 2 left feet at first! Now, I really want to be a skydiver but I am worried that if I am not a fast learner maybe the sport moves too fast for someone like me. If there is a fast mal, will I be quick enough to handle it? I have never been good at sports and I am a bit coordinationally challenged. Now, I am going to jump again this weekend because I am a very stubborn person and I don't quit easily. I guess I just need some encouragement from anyone else who might have had a difficult time with AFF.

you can get paid to wander thru DZ.com all day??? wait, I wander thru here all day, too. I am actually paid tho to decide who is disabled enough to get social security. no, if you can skydive and you can see this computer screen then you probably cant get SSI.

Thanks, all, I am starting my ground school this Sunday (8-28)!!! I am so excited! I have learned alot already by reading this board. Besides, I really would have gone crazy trying to wait till spring. I am going to be a skydiver!

In Texas! I am pumped to start up my AFF but $$ and time are my enemies! If I start now, I will still be working on the AFF when it gets cold, and I know there is a requirement to stay current while learning. Will I be miserably cold during my AFF jumps instead of being able to enjoy my intro to the new sport? I want to learn to skydive! But I don't want to ruin my enjoyment of learning by rushing into it at the wrong time. What do you experienced skydivers think?

Analyze this dream for me? For background info, I have only 1 tandem but am now addicted and am happily waiting for my AFF ground school to start (hopefully this Sunday)! So I jump out of the plane, in full appropriate gear. Freefall is a gorgeous vivid part of the dream, with fluffy clouds and cool wind. It is sunset and I am taking pictures on the way down. At 4K I look at the altimeter and pull my parachute, but it is like a broken string and just pulls out about 3 feet and hangs, no parachute. Hmmm... I think, this is bad. So in the dream I never thought of the reserve, but somehow I landed softly on my feet and walked away, ticked off that my gear didnt deploy right. The dream continues to me reviewing my pictures, I got a couple great ones but the pics of the red sunset blurred out on me. I remember a great cloud shot and a nice picture of a cell tower. Wonder why I didn't die in the dream? I don't feel scared of the AFF lessons. Excited, nervous. But not scared. I do think that dreaming of freefall means I am totally addicted.

Scuba is way more dangerous than skydiving, from my recent research. you may want to look at the USPA site for stats on accidents. http://www.uspa.org/

hi, I am in Austin and also SCUBA dive frequently. Windy Point, Aquarena, Twin Lakes, may have seen you in the aqua! I am starting AFF at San Marcos asap, waiting for them to get enough ppl together for ground school. go sign up so that they will schedule my ground school! No, really, Rick over there is the mgr and he is super nice. Go chat with him if you are interested and they can give you more info for your decision. As far as $$ goes, here is my thoughts: if you want to skydive, each tandem is almost $200. So 8 tandems, and you have spent $1600. Well, AFF is less than $1600 and you get way more jumps for your bucks. And after you have your A license jumping is cheap (except for equipment you may want to buy). So, really, if you are going to skydive then AFF is saving you money in the long run. Me, I am having dreams of freefalling, I know that I am addicted.

Research shows that living leads to dying in 100% of cases. But if I were on a time crunch I would quit my job in a heartbeat and try to squeeze in as much travel and fun and SCUBA and skydiving and kayaking and white water rafting and cliff diving and hang gliding and whatever else struck my fancy as possible. Screw dying slowly in a hospital.

I will be a new AFF student at San Marcos soon also! I went up there last weekend and hung out for a while, but had been on SCUBA all weekend so could not skydive. I will be starting ground school probably 8/27... it is sad I have to wait that long but I have unavoidable plans the other 2 weekends before then. I really like SSM, its a great facility. I look forward to meeting other girls who skydive out there! Us adventurous girls got to stick together! - Melissa Peterman aka RumBum

I weigh 125 so I dont think that weight was an issue, but the rig I was using was waaay too big for me, we had to cinch it down as small as it would go and I still had a hard time reaching up for the parachute lines. I had tingling in my fingers before even jumping. I was also bruised on my arms and legs after. It sounds like my illness was a combo of the rig, hangover from the night before, lack of food, prone to motion sickness.... I was just asking for it! Well, live and learn. Thanks for all of your posts, this forum is helping me to learn alot about my new obsession!

I tend to think of freefall when I am in bed trying to go to sleep. Then, I get excited and can't sleep! I am going to have to go jump again, soon!

Yes, I am prone to car sickness and sea-sickness. It is a problem I have commonly but did not expect while under canopy. I have used Drammamine and Scop patch with so-so results. I have used an acupunture electric wrist band which worked but was actually quite annoying.

I have only made one jump so far, but I will compare this with SCUBA. I have been a diver for 3 years and still get anxiety sometimes while underwater. I just tell myself, "I know what I am doing, I have studied what to do if anything does go wrong, and I have taken all the necessaray safety precautions. I need to calm down." It helps me.

yeah, with my nervousness I did drink too much the night before. I didn't have to ask if that reaction was typical, though!

1st jump, tandem, 08/01/05... loved it, of course! Question: I am not motion sick in the plane but felt sick once the chute was opened, due to swaying under the chute. Is that pretty typical? If I learn to solo, will this be better when I am controlling the "steering"? How about will it get better with more jumps? All opinions and input will be helpful. Thanks alot!