Gato

Not to worry - it's very difficult to break a 2-liter plastic bottle. I think. T.I.N.S.

I'm finally current again after my winter layoff - and I "aced" jump number 13!! I hadn't jumped since November, and at that time, I'd completed two 5-second delays. Winter can be a very strange and very non-lucrative time for a working musician. Thank God for generous wives! Two weeks ago, I had refresher training, but the winds came up (as per usual) and I didn't get to jump. This past sunday, though, I showed up early and got on the second load after the first round of tandems. A damn-near perfect PRCP, and a good stand-up landing. Winds come up, so I practiced packing for a while. Six hours later, the winds are down enough to do a H&P, so up I go. I had a very satisfying pull (Nothing in the world like a satisfying pull.) and a baby-soft deployment, followed by a stand-up/run-it-out landing. Yeah, baby! Cool stuff on these jumps: PRCP: My instructor/JM, Mark went up with me on both jumps, but after my deployment on this one, I saw the plane out ahead of me, and then I saw him jump out and deploy his canopy only a few seconds later. What a cool sight - I'd never seen another deployment so close-up before! Mark is a great instructor, and he helped me get over the return-to-jumping jitters. It was cool that he did my retraining class and was JM on both of my jumps over the weekend. He showed a lot of trust in me, allowing me to adapt to the exit and pull sequence in my own way (what I call "the rhythm method"). I must say that I'm feeling a lot more relaxed in the plane, and my exits have improved substantially. Apparently, I don't try to swim back to the plane anymore. Who knew? Clear & Pull: Had a certain DZO tell me after my landing, "You're gonna make me proud if you don't fuck up." Nothing else that happened on that jump could be as cool as hearing that. Thanks for reading my chronicle - 10, 20, & 30 second delays coming soon!!!!! Later, Gato Visit the new Missouri River Valley Skydivers' website: http://www.skydivemrvs.com/homepage/default.asp T.I.N.S.

Turtle, you're my fuckin' hero!!!! Caldazar!! Carai al Caldazar!! T.I.N.S.

I told her it's probably one of the seals on the Dark One's prison - and we're pretty much fucked, 'cause it's busted. (Robert Jordan fans will understand that reference - do you speak Geekish, Turtle?) T.I.N.S.

This might be my favorite wingsuit footage of all time. I did a search, and didn't find any other reference to it here. If it's a repost, or if it's old news, I'll gladly delete it and apologize for the infraction. The birdman in the vid (to my noob's eye's) appears to be a great flyer, and the music is creepy enough to make it interesting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oY60556JJU&feature=related Enjoy. T.I.N.S.

How about a little bollock shock cooling? T.I.N.S.

For some reason, I get the impression that it could be an honorary from a funeral or maybe a gift from a wedding. Because of its size, though, it might be a game piece of some kind, like a mahjong tile, or a poker chip. My wife is a linguist, so I consulted her. This is from an email she sent me in reference to this object: Hey. Had myself convinced it was Chinese until I looked at this page: http://www.omniglot.com/writing/arabic.html If you look at the third jpeg on the dz post, and then look at some of the letters and diacritics on this website, you can see it really clearly. But if I was going to make another guess, I would look at the second jpeg along with these (attached) and guess that it might be Chinese cursive script. Thanks for sending me this. It was really run to puzzle over and it has reminded me how much I love Chinese. I’m going to start studying it again. Cool chick, my wife. T.I.N.S.

Hey Ashkit - I feel your pain; I couldn't jump at all last summer because I injured my shoulder practicing PLFs. Very bad idea to hang from the strut when your not sure if your shoulder will prevent you from pulling. I remember feeling the same way about my injury: resentful, and kind-of hopeless. I really hope you start feeling better soon (maybe go get a massage or two?), but in the meantime, it will probably do your spirits a world of good to just go hang out with your friends at the DZ. Best of fortune to you (I don't believe in luck.

Everybody's got it wrong. NASA has found the Phantom Zone. Pray they do not release the Kryptonian convicts incarcerated there! My geek is showing. T.I.N.S.

Oh, Skymama - we covered that on Safety Day, right along with dental dams. T.I.N.S.

From hookers? You bet.

Yes, life is "easier" for more attractive people - for a while. I think this is just like what we call "natural talent" or "God-given talent", in that it carries you only so far. Then you actually have to do some real work to get what you want out of life. I deal with this all the time with my guitar students, the ones who "got it" at a very early stage, and then come to believe they don't have to practice. Sometimes, having it easy can breed inhibitive complacency. Sounds a bit like another activity I know of...... Also, for a lot of males, being more attractive means more easily snagging women, which can lead to the guy that treats women like shit. I know for a fact that this applies to some women, as well - we do not speak their names, though. Come to think of it, I have a wonderful suggestion for ladies looking for a potential mate: Find a really, really attractive guy who is obviously a player, then identify two of his closest male friends - one of those two should be a very good choice, because they don't get as much action, and they will appreciate you more than the player will. (Yes, I was always one of those two when I was a younger man.) Of course, if you'd rather have the player instead of the nice guy, then go fuck yourselves. T.I.N.S.

I've been waiting to hear the official word on the release of the student Katana - I had my recurrency training a couple of weeks ago, and the DZO was passing out order forms. After my 10 second delay, it's straight to Atmonauti training flights, followed by 2 static line wingsuit jumps. Noobs rule! T.I.N.S.

This is what happens if we choose commissioned sales for a career - we'll not only employ the tactics, we want them used on us as well. Of course it isn't - unless the lady doesn't like it. (I've actually had a woman get pissed at me for holding a door open for her - and I wasn't even trying to offer her oral sex.) Shall I get the door for you? T.I.N.S.

I bought one from them last year, $95 on one of their eBay sales. Here's a mini-review: Good: I have a large freakhead, as my wife would say, and the Aviator fits great. Looks pretty cool, as these things go, and seems to be pretty tough. I have the plain graphite finish, which actually looks great. Cuts noise much, much better than a Protec. Since it has the neoprene panel across the forehead, you can pull your goggles up off your eyes pre flight or after deployment. (Just so you know, I've never done it after deployment, but I know a lot of jumpers who do - I'm still a student, and I do follow the rules.) Bad: The only thing I could complain about is a mis-alignment of one of the liner side pieces - left side too far forward - but I repositioned it. I did buy a factory second, so I didn't expect it to be perfect. The main reason I bought mine is because I didn't feel like wearing the nasty student Protecs at the DZ, and it's a lot more comfortable. I've only jumped it about 8 times, and it's holding up well for now - until it's OK for me to use a full-face. I like my little Aviator. Edited to add: I want to be clear that I'm not bad-mouthing the Protec, nor was I trying to say that the Aviator protects your noggin any better than the Protec - I'm pretty sure the Protec would win that argument. Just though I'd clarify. T.I.N.S.

"Kiss At the End of the Rainbow" - Mitch & Mickey (aka Eugene Levy and Katherine O'Hara) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffP1OZvRDV4&feature=related This will seem like a weird choice, but Katherine O'Hara's vocal in this song NEVER fails to make me cry - I seriously lose it when she does her solo part in this song, like a Celtic lament that just tears me apart. Beautiful! T.I.N.S.

Resort casual - Tommy Bahama shirts, no jeans, linen pants. Resort upscale - Sport jacket, collared shirt, and loafers maybe? Try calling a travel agent, or the resort itself. Think "yacht club." For God's sake, don't let yourself be seen in an ascot and a captain's hat. T.I.N.S.

Shows how much I know, huh? I was told that silencers diminish the accuracy and power of the round. Is that not true? T.I.N.S.

So I just heard on the news (I'm in KC, MO) that Kathleen Sebelius is signing (or has signed) a bill making machine guns, sawed-off shotguns, and silencers legal in the state of Kansas. Of course, one must still pass a background check..... I have 2 questions about this: 1 - Is there any legitimate reason for a private citizen to own a silencer? (I'm not being sarcastic, I really want to know.) Is a silencer NOT a tool for assassins? 2 - Kansas passed legislation restricting the teaching of evolution not too long ago. Am I the only one who thinks there's something wrongfully ironic about this? I'm just a little confused. (I await the flaming and the "you're-a-liberal-and-this-is-why-you're-wrong" rhetoric.) T.I.N.S.

My deepest condolences to the entire FFE family. I think Jen actually may have been involved in my training for an AFF jump, but I'm not sure. Brian, Lynn, Mike, and Fletch were all super nice to me, and they run a great DZ. My heart goes out to Jen's family and to you, Justice. Keep strong. T.I.N.S.

I didn't know Marnie, but I met Fletch last year when I visited FFE. My heart goes out to you, Fletch, and the rest of the FFE family; Brian, Lynn, Mike, and Fletch were all very nice to me, and are very good people. My condolences to everyone in Mt.Vernon, and to Marnie's family and friends. Stay strong, Fletch - I'm so sorry you lost your love. T.I.N.S.

Hey J - I don't know if there's one around, but you can also try theatrical supply, or even a pro sound company, or a lighting supply place? - I use that stuff almost every weekend. Take it easy! C. T.I.N.S.

Download the 2008 SIM from USPA's website (or buy a hard copy), and get yourself a copy of "The Skydiver's Handbook" by Dan Poynter and Mike Turoff. Good stuff, good information you are going to need. Welcome to the sport! T.I.N.S.

You're welcome to mine. T.I.N.S.

Not to advertise it, but there is a ton of good information in the "Packing Made Simple" DVD that recently came out. I got a copy of it when it was first released, and I have to say that the CGI sequences explaining the 3-ring, RSL, and components of the main are really cool. There's even a section on getting to know your reserve, which I found very informative. I had my packing course last november, and honestly, I think I'll be ok with jumping my own packjob - in fact, I'd almost rather pack for myself, even though we have good packers. There is something powerful in the idea of being totally responsible for the outcome. This is the same feeling I got when I realized the quality of my jump and landing has little to do with what instructor I have - a good feeling to have. A LOT of my anxiety went away when I started pulling for myself (instead of the static line opening for me.) T.I.N.S.