Jumpah

Thanks for the tools...I found one calc that showed it to be pretty steep, way more than I'm up for. So...maybe I'll just get me a more comfortable car... Spizzzarko: Thanks for the details! Thanks!

haha...like the Moller skycar, right? I've been keeping up with that for the last few years. That would be great! Thanks for all the responses...we are looking at me getting an apt or renting a room a couple nights a week as well. There will be some fun in having the pilots license, tho, so even if I don't use it this way I'm sure I'll do it in the next few years.

True...didn't think about VFR...winter in ME will basically require it, as it gets dark early. Yeah...the future Mrs. Jumpah and I have talked about moving to a central area, or having two palces. Commuting isn't an option for her (for a variety of good reasons), and with this contract being 1-2 years its hard to make a decision where to be. (edited for content and readability)

Couldn't find a specific forum for pilots, so into the bonfire it goes... Does anyone here have experience with using a Cessna (or similar) plane for their daily commute? I'm probably moving to a new city in the next year, which will make my round-trip commute to work around 4 hours by car (sometimes a bit less). My current commute is about 3 hours and it is getting a bit tiresome, and I'm on this contract for at least another year, maybe two. The home and work city both have airports, and the work one is about 1 mile from the building I work in...so a real easy walk or bike ride. The home airport is MHT (Manchvegas, NH) and the work will be PSA (I think...Portland ME) I've wanted to get my pilots license anyway, so this could be a good excuse to go for it. So info about the time it takes to get there and off the ground, landing/parking fees, etc, Jet A prices, and any of that. Thanks!

Its also just a matter of time before someone figures out how to get OSX running under a normal intel-based system. Its close, especially now that its shown that XP can run on a mac pro.

Thanks Tdog...I appreciate the response. I'm packing a student canopy ATM, a NAV 260, and the dbag is a bit tight for it. It tends to ooze out sideways pretty much immediately, so the idea of practicing with one pullup cord is a good one.

Interesting...this could help me. Question: Are you putting pressure to hold the lines/slider in place, or is this between your knees with no pressure directly on it?

Could an instructor reply as to why students can't wear full faced helmets? I can think of two, but can also think of a rjeason why they would be a good idea (help with face plant protection on a bad landing). TIA

Check out the Dell 630m...its a decent little machine, and they are selling them cheap now (as low as $699 if you look in small business). Seems they are clearing them out as the dual core processors are in. My only issue with all manufacturers is the amount of bloatware in the default OS installation. The last Dell we bought we had to reinstall the OS to get it to run as well as we needed it to. Tons of free offers, trial software, and Dell popups. Macs...I love them too, but you can get two windows-based systems for the price of one Mac. Keep a hot spare going for when the primary crashes

A tandem as the first skydive is like actually riding in a car before you start taking driver's ed. Sure, people can learn to drive without every being in a moving vehicle before, but overall its probably safer and more relaxing to go for your first skydive with someone else driving. But hey...I still got that new skydiver smell Letting him decide on his own is probably the best idea...he knows his comfort level with such things.

I second that!

Tandem...have fun on your first ride without so much responsibility. The TI may also let you take the toggles and you can get some experience steering and flaring while knowing you are as safe as can be.

Two good things to read before you buy... Top 10 Dealer scams: http://www.carbuyingtips.com/scams.htm Confessions of a Used Car Salesman (long but good): http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/42962/page001.html Definitely get your financing squared ahead of time...have a credit union give you pre-approval up to whatever you are comfortable paying. (Edited to add) How to buy a used car: http://www.carbuyingtips.com/used.htm Good luck!

Consider letting your primary care physician know about this, since you get the same feeling doing skydiving and running. I hope its nothing and we get to see you up there. Good luck!

Actually all I want is for her to come sometime this summer to see me jump (which she's happy to do). Outside that, its not her scene so it would be hard for both of us And not to worry...I'll confess my ruse over sushi this Wed night

- The person you are bitching about can or will hear you - Be the only person who can do the job and you'll keep the job. However, if you cannot be replaced you can never be promoted.

My gf isn't a whuffo, but she isn't a skydiver either. That is to say that she understands it but isn't interested herself. She's a fantastic supporter, actually. I've been looking at my DZs calendar and trying to figure out how to tell her about the 4th of July boogie. I want to go all weekend...camp out, bbq, relax. Back the end of last year when her and I got serious I set her expections and told her that this summer I'd be jumping one day each weekend, whatever day was nicest, and the other day would be with her. If we had something important I'd skip jumping all together. A fair balance, we both agreed. But to do this boogie I'd have to have her make an exception to the agreement (I hadn't considered weekend boogies). Not really a big deal (she's quite reasonable), but there is an underlying quid pro quo that would need to be paid back. Balance must be restored. All of you in relationships know this. So last night she says to me that her friend Sarah wanted to know if she could go to Chicago on 4th of July weekend with her and her girlfriends for a girls-only weekend (why are these such momentus occasions?). My gf told her that she had to check with me. And the way she asked me was like she was sorry to have to ask me. So of course I answered that: well, shucks...I think I can find something to do all weekend...you'll have a great time with them and how often does something like this come up, so go...please, and have a great time. So in the end I didn't even need to ask...and the balance is in my favor, at least for now.

Now thats a quote worth remembering!

I'm really trying not to make this harsh...cause I can see from your replies you aren't getting justification to your current dream. You have no reason to believe us, but that doesn't mean people are giving you fiction. College isn't easy, but sticking it through the last year will be much easier than the rest of your life. If you are 21 and you've always wanted to skydive/base...why did you wait this long? If you are just in a bad spot and are looking to shake your life up then good for you...I have no issue with this, and these sports can do just that! Make sure you have a long view on your life to compare with this short view. You won't be 21 for much longer, and the economics of the world around you will change as you get older, and without a desire to work it'll never be in your favor. You can be disillusioned about how the world spends its money, thats valid. But I've yet to see a rule that says people who make 6 figures a year are not allowed to live in a tent. To quote Robert Heinlein in a couple of his books: TANSTAAFL....There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. Good luck! (Edited to add lots of stuff)

I've been running a SUSE 9.2 install for a while and like it. Borders/BN, etc, have lots of getting started guides for Linux. If you don't want to commit to rebuilding your system, check out Knoppix (www.knoppix.org). Its a linux OS on a bootable disc. You even have access to NTFS file systems if they exist. SUSE 10 is out. Here's a link: http://www.novell.com/linux/ SUSE has been really solid. There are lots of great linux distributions. New OS's are fun...I did a job this weekend installing a new server for a company and bartered a Mac G4 with OS X. My first time with a Mac (I bought myself a case of beer).

Wow, thats a horrid thing to see on a Sunday morning. Releated question that this made me think of...: Has anyone ever dialed 911 on a mobile phone and *then* had to type 1 to confirm that you really wanted to dial emergency? I had this happen on a Samsung phone (N80 I think) with SprintPCS service a few years ago, and wonder how common this is.

www.newegg.com has some great deals...they've got a 300gb drive there with similar specs for $112 + shipping. I've bought a lot of hardware from them and have had no issues. Lurk their front page for their frequently-changing deals.

- Present - Self-employed consultant, computer industry. - Landlord - Software testing - Network engineer - Computer helpdesk - Retail sales - Dorm RA - Lifeguard - Mover (lasted one day...F that job!) - Assistant Manager in a video game arcade (manging other monetary exchange specialists) - Monetary Exchange Specialist - Stockclerk in a convenience store - Paperboy Lifeguard was my favorite job to date =)

Historicaly thats very true. But I think this is becoming less a reality each year. Moore's Law keeps on going and technology keeps improving but Windows XP is 5 years old...in that time the hardware has "doubled" in power a few times. It's unlikely Windows Vista (2007) will require an brand new machine to run, so unless you are a gamer, a system you buy today will be relevant much longer than one you bought five years ago. A computer's effective speed is a matrix of influences from the components that it is built of, and these days we can use components that are much faster than we had years ago. Back in the day (thinking of my AT&T i8086 in my basement) it was the processor that made the system fast. Now you can get faster memory, hard disks, mobo, input devices, etc. Personally...I love Alienware systems. Plan to buy my first next month.

Check out the book Automatic Millionaire at your local bookstore. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0767914104/104-4039335-3443959?v=glance&n=283155 The basic premise is to set up your finances so that things get done automatically. It also goes into the whole "pay yourself first" idea, which is to say that you pay into savings before you start paying bills. If you don't increase your bills, and your aren't saving so much that you can't get ahead on those bills, eventually your bills are gone and your savings is built up. You can calculate when you'll be a millionaire I started using the principles in here in 2005 with good success. I'm quite a ways from being a millionaire, but its only my first year and I know it'll eventually happen. Also look at multiple streams of income...buy a property that has an apartment you can rent. Tenants are a pain in the ass sometimes, but the income helps to cover the interest on the mortgage, which effectively lowers your interst rate, increasing what you can save.