Jumpah

I still haven't heard of this, has any bloke had his nads squashed I heard it said once that "a line over is better than a ball under". Many years ago (way before I began skydiving) I was consulting at a company and met a guy who left the US airforce because he had crushed and lost a ball while parachuting. Said he screamed most of the canopy ride down...

hehe, thats more like a skydiver "Refridgerator? Ramen Noodles don't NEED a stinking fridge, and I can get prolly 10 jumps for this baby"

Do a tandem and get some real life data. At the very least, go to a DZ and talk to the fun jumpers. Heck, about $30 in Samuel Adams should get you enough research and help you clinch the grade.

Good for you...I have not been able to do that. Welcome to the sport!

Yeah...pond swooping RC skydivers

I wonder if this will be the first time we all get to see a real threesome in the sky....

Howard's success is actually because he talks about himself and his personal life incessantly

In college (10 yrs ago) I worked in the computer center doing user support. A cute girl came to the desk with trouble, so I went to her computer. There were two other cute girls there. They couldn't pull a particular statistics file off the floppy disk. I tried, and tried, but it was corrupted and could not be read. Finally, I gave up and said "I'm sorry...I just can't get it up for you". The laughter amongst my peers was long and strong.

Same...I like it, and my local office is helpful.

Sirius has a Buffet channel, two comedy channels, sports, and all the same music that xm has. XM has a movie channel, which sirius doesn't have. Regarding Howard bringing in the subscribers...check the numbers, he had actually more than paid for himself, which is why the stock bonus was triggered. Before they announced him joining, they had 600k subs...now they are well over 2.2 million, and Q1 hasn't been tallied. Pricewize...both stocks are way down...XM was at 32 just a couple months ago, they are at 20 now. Sirius was at almost 8 and is now around 4.5. Remember that Sirius has like 6 times the number of shares outstanding...SIRI actaully has a higher market cap than XM. They are both getting killed, but it has nothing to do with the quality of the product. Sirius has the added bit of fame of being the number one shorted stock in the market...they just surpased Microsoft. Most likely you'll enjoy either one...I think Sirius will outpace in growth over time. Sex sells...VCRs became popular because people could watch porn at home.

Until I was off AFF I wondered every jump whether it was a good idea or not Student gear is set up to be forgiving. Your instructor will drill into you the things you should and shouldn't do. The instructors I've worked with would never let a student go up unless they were sure the student could do it safely. You'll have a radio, too, which helps (but remember you'll need to think for yourself). Its not a bicycle ride...you can't stop once you are in motion. If your local DZ is one that caters towards sport and student skydives as well as tandems (instead of being just a tandem mill), go out to the DZ on a nice day and spend the day. Introduce yourself to manifest and ask to talk with an instructor when they are free. I started with a tandem then did AFF. On my first AFF jump I was scared stiff (literally...instructor pulled for me ), but that was gone on my repeat of that jump. Now I'm just nervous each time. Whether its a terrible idea or not...you'll figure that out soon. Good luck!

Yes you can...I bring all my gear as carry on (can't afford to lose it!).

I second that...

Congrats! You definitely look like you are having a great time.

Seconded. I gave two of the TSA reps an impromptu lesson on the parts of a rig, what the AAD was, how it worked, etc. A good friendly attitude throughout will keep the time to a minimum.

As you see...many people repeat levels...I repeated my cat A and another friend almost got the nickname "legs" she repeated one level so many times. Relax and practice your arch on the ground. Practice your dive flow on the ride up...people won't mind you waving your arms about and it'll help you nail it when the show starts. Good luck!

I've been wanting to have someone pitch a bag of apples for me to do batting practice with. This thought has been going on for years. I may do it soon

If you bring a bottle of wine its a hospitality gift for the host of the party and they are not required to open it. One valid reason for not opening is that it may not pair well with the meal or other drinks being served. The wine is you thanking the hosts for inviting you...as its a gift, they can do what they want. Personally, if someone brings a bottle to my house and if we didn't get to open it I save it for the next time they come and make sure they know about it.

"You donkey-raping shit-eater" South Park Movie

Haven't read these recently, but I've read them several times over the year. Robert A. Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" John Kennedy Toole: "A Confederacy of Dunces".

Pee is sterile. This is good advice.

Walt, I've been wearing soft lenses for 20 years now, and I'm wearing accuvue2 as well. In the beginning they are difficult. Like learning when to flare. Out of the package the lens should be in the right direction. Mine have always been. There are two ways to tell whether they are inside out or not....1) can you read the lettering, or 2) do they curve in or out when you squeeze them. To do this test, put the lens between your index finger and thumb and squeeze it gently. If the edges turn out, its inside out. If they stay turned in then its the right direction. Putting them in...my handy fast way, but it looks a bit wierd: 1) Wet your index finger with saline and put the lens smack in the middle (after ensuring its the right direction). 2) Put one drop of saline inside the lens. Two is OK, but three will make the lens unstable (five is RIGHT OUT, LOL) 3) Here's where it gets weird...take your opposite arm and drape it over your head so that your palm is on your forehead. Use the index or middle finger to hold your top eye lid up. 4) Use your lens hand middle finger to pull the bottom lid down. Look straight at the lens and gently press it into place. Slowly remove your lens finger...the lens should be in your eye now. 5) Slowly let go of your eyelid. Gently blink and look around slowly. Word of caution about sleeping in lenses...when you wake up, they may be stuck to your eyeball. I imagine if you were to pull on it you could damage your eye. If you are in this situation, keep your eye soaked in saline for a few minutes before removing the lens. My optometrist (spelling?) strongly discourages me from sleeping in my lenses, fyi.

Sublime - Sublime

Consider taking a leave of absence for 3 or so months. Most companies will let you do that with no big deal. Tho a start-up may mean small which may make this difficult for the company. This way you may figure out whats bothering you while not tossing away what you've worked for over the last four years.