Cashmanimal

So it is one of those stories you only hear about in the movies. I won't go into too many details as to why I was purchasing this month's edition of Playboy's Coeds from across the country or whatever. Unfortunately, it was not for the usual reason you would buy a Playboy, just to get those witty responses out of the way now. But about half way through, there, the only girl (aside from the cover girl) to get four full pages all to herself, is a girl from my high school. Each girl get either 1 page, or a two-page layout, and she gets four? I am still dragging my jaw around behind me on the ground. Okay, to negate my first paragraph, the reason I purchased it was because every new issue of these, my friends and I take turns buying it. Being college freshmen, we like to find the ones from our school and then try to find them in real life for a comparison. It usually turns out pretty successful. My friends and I all attend different colleges at all corners of the country, so we have the magazine covered pretty well, which is why we do it. It seems my buddy who goes to Rice has been having the most success... Unfortunately, of the 50 or so girls that come in each issue, we consider around 45 of them to be "meh." I mean, most are not ugly. But most are, "meh." But the crazy thing is, this girl from my high school is definitely one of the better looking ones. Obviously, she got such a large chunk of the issue. It is just still blowing my mind. I went to a prep school with 150 people in each grade. We were together from 6th grad through high school. I knew this girl so well, it's just... it's like seeing your sister ass-high in playboy. Your hot sister. not gonna give away any further details... she did it under a fake name, so I am not gonna tell-all for her sake... nothing more than the magazine tells you about her. But still.... wow. It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

To respond to myself, this is a direct reflection of low jump numbers and inexperience. I am fully aware of the hazards involved with assuming, and it is a clear mistake on my part to ever have assumed anything. It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

I thoroughly enjoy watching swooping. It scares the crap out of me in an exhilarating way just as a skydive does. However, I agree that there needs to be SOMETHING done. I spent this weekend out at Lodi, my first time visiting. I found that on every single load, I was extremely nervous about the canopy traffic. The best way for me to describe it would be the seagulls from Finding Nemo ("mine! mine!"). Every single person insisted on landing in the relatively small grassy area. While it is long enough to accomodate everybody wanting to do this, I feel it is not wide enough to create a 'safe' environment for everybody there. Everything always turned out fine. On most loads, the swoopers hung out up top until all the conservative pilots landed, then made their swoops at reasonable times. However, many problems came up when only one plane was fling, for myself at least. With Lodi doing so many tandems, each Beech load was about 3/4 tandems/video, and 1/4 fun-jumpers. The fun jumpers got out first, which created some stressful traffic. Most of the swoopers there were also the video guys for the tandems. After filming the tandems, they would pull a tad lower than we had, then try to beat everybody to the ground to film the landings. But many times, this put me turning on my final approach just as I would pick up a high performance canopy hauling ass about 100 feet above me. I was terrified every time, knowing exactly what he was setting himself up for and that I very well could be in his way. But it is my right as the skydiver who got there first, to be where I am, so I continued my pattern and let them work around me so as to avoid throwing off the rest of the load which was setting up their approach. I know the swoopYrs know what they are doing, and that they are magnificent canopy pilots, and i envy them. But it is the fear of the new swoopers riding their high-horse that scare me the most. because as far as I was concerned, all I saw was a human body dangling from a handkerchief of a canopy who was 100 feet above me, and had full intentions of beating me to the ground. All that seems to be to me is a recipe for repeating what I unfortunately had to watch at Eloy. I agree that swooping needs to be celebrated and fueled in a safe manner. I love swooping, and want to see it flourish. I just don't want it happening around me while I am trying to do nothing more than land my canopy safely. I refused all weekend to bail out into the field, as that was not only unfair, but extremely dangerous considering the traffic. With divided landing areas, this problem would be diminished. Then, conservative pilots would just have to worry about shitty conservative pilots, and swoopers can deal with shitty swoopers. Of course, to point out that many camera fliers are swoopers creates a new problem, in that they will want to swoop of course, but the tandem will not land in the swoopers course. So do we ban vidiots from swooping when filming tandems? A tough issue, as many swoopers find their primary source of skydiving filming tandems. Banning swoops after filming tandems may completely extinguish swooping for a good portion of swoopers. I guess I honestly have no better solution to offer than anyone else. It's just a shame that such an exciting element of the sport could.... and should.... be divided from everything else as far as landing zones go, in my opinion. For myself right now, I want to glide in on my Spectre 150, with the peace of mind that i won't get overtaken by the one jackass who didn't pay enough attention on his swoop approach. Or the day that a seasoned swooper doesn't see me, because everybody makes mistakes, even canopy gods. I think both sides just need to compromise, reasonably. and if I may point out the most frustrating thing about my Lodi visit, is as I was standing in line to manifest for my first load, I was talking to one of the local jumpers. I specifically asked if swooping and hook-turns were banned, to which she replid: "Yes. and if Bill (Dauss) sees you doing it, he will ground you and ask you to leave." A well thought-out response, as that would prevent any visiting jumper from creating a completely retarded situation. But, a response that was potentially hazardous, as after hearing this, I of course assumed that there would be no hook turns or swooping, and was therefore did not have my awareness tuned in for that. The first time I was passed by a HP canopy, I wasn't sure what to think; a guy that just doesn't care about the rules? I came to the conclusion that if you live at Lodi, you can do what you want. Which is the mentality that is going to cause many accidents if we don't find a safer way to do it. Okay, my term paper is complete. It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

everything does fall at the same speed neglecting air resistance, aka in a vacuum. I am sure there are some videos I am too lazy to find. One that sticks out in my mind is a feather and a quarter being dropped at the same time in a vacuum, and both hitting the ground at the same time. The most basic way to explain your confusion i think would be to point out that speed due to gravity is a multiple of the acceleration of gravity. Imagine gravity as a person pulling you down by a string attached to your waist in freefall. Heavy people fall faster because their weight causes gravity to pull harder, lighter people fall slower because gravity does not pull as hard. It is the multiplier coming into effect (acceleration of gravity is approx. 10 meters per second. 10 meters per second multiplied by a person weighing 100 pounds is not pulling as hard as 10 meters per second pulling on a person weighing 200 pounds). Air resistance definitely comes into play as well. That whole "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction" thing holds quite true in skydiving. When you jump out of the plane, you accelerate. But not for very long. As soon as air resistance is pushing up on your body as hard as gravity is pulling down (equal/opposite) you have reached terminal velocity. This is why low-profile people (skinny) can wear weights and fall at the same rate as a high-profile (fat guy) wearing baggy clothing/jumpsuits. I am sure i somehow repeated what other people said, and am fully aware that you said it had been cleared up. But, can't deny an opportunity to flaunt at least a sample of this so-called education of mine. It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

As long as the subject was up, here is my "Baby." Hopefully some will understand why after driving this I will do anything possible to stay out of a little honda or hyundai.... It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

Basically, I agree with what everybody has said, except for smaller details that come with the cars. Mainly the Audi. The guy who I would be purchasing the Audi from is an Audi technician, and lives on my street. He said he would be willing to do the work on it with me, as long as I paid for the parts. Very worthwile for me, as I love working on cars. I honestly don't know why the Cobalt was such a front-runner. Probably because of the gas, warranty remaining, and the 0% financing. But when I drove it, it felt exactly like what it is. A cheap piece of near crap. As far as a honda and such goes... honestly, it is nothing more than me being stubborn. I just can't do it. Not after spending all that time building some american muscle for the primary purposes of embarrassing cars like civics, I just really can't see myself getting in one without having to shield my face in shame. It's just me, being stubborn. Not that the Cobalt would have been any better, but at least it had a bowtie on it. It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

So here's the deal: I've been in the market for a 'new' car for a bit now. I currently own an 84 Camaro, but it is built for the track, and there is no way I could register it here in California. I have a hard time registering it in the desert, as it is. I have found two options, and since I have not owned enough cars in my life to make a TRULY educated decision, I thought I would seek out the ever-wise DZ.com advice. First, I found a 2006 Chevy Cobalt. Base model, nothing incredible about it. 5 speed, two-door, little car. It is about $12,000, but comes with three years 0% financing, and $500 in free gas. Also, it has a little over 20,000 miles on it, leaving about 15,000 miles on the factory warranty. Although I hear the car is relatively uncomfortable. To be really picky, every review I have read about the car says it has small cup holders. I know, small detail, but these things add up. I like having drinks while i drive. If I am not going to be doing fun driving, I want to at least be doing comfortable driving. The second option I found, which I am leaning towards, is a 97 Audi A4 Quattro. The 1.8 Turbo, 6-speed. It costs half what the Cobalt does, but it has a little over 100,000 miles on it. Average for a ten year old car, but it is getting up there. I have heard polar-opposite reviews about it, as far as reliability goes, which would be the obvious concern with this car. Every website i went to gave both cars the same rating as far as reliability. Assuming that they are the same mileage, of course. But I spent all four years of high school putting every penny I earned into building a Camaro that does the quarter mile in the low thirteens. I just don't know if I am ready to settle down with a car like the Cobalt. My drive to the dropzone is about an hour on windy roads... could sway the decision a bit... Having had a muscle car, I am used to taking some downtime every once in a while for car repairs, so is not a big threat to me with the Audi. My process at this point is basically: I would rather pay half the amount for a more fun car, that may, or may not, have some issues. If it has issues, I have the money I saved by buying this car to put towards repairs, which once again, wouldn't really bother me, as i am used to it. I spent every sunday of the last three years under my Camaro, and that was just the upkeep from 'casual' driving. So anyway, i would love to hear the opinions of the many people on here who have been on both ends of the spectrum as far as car purchasing goes. Oh, one last note... the car is only mine for four years until I move back to where the Camaro is drivable... Edited for spelling. It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

Well, the thing is, she did tell him at the time. I told her what a few people have said here, and she agrees that she just needs to be a bitch about it now. She wants to be his friend, and has told him she wants nothing more, but has done it in a friendly way. She has come to the conclusion that if he really is a true friend, that he won't hold it against her if she wants to be with me, which she has since declared. As far as being the fRagrant asshole... all I can say is a week of studying for finals and late-night posts... L's and R's start to be the same letter. Apologies for being a flagrant fragrant dumbass It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

I will be at Lodi on the 26th. My top priority will be my buddy who is doing a tandem, but after that I would be lookin for someone to do some fun jumps. I have heard all the horror/glory stories about Lodi. I really don't wanna show up and do solos all day. I would be looking to do just about anything. I will have my video/stills setup, but would love to do some RW or low-level FF. It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

Haha! Yeah.... She's coming on the trip with me It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

She went to a party with him.... Yeah, but this was before he got creepy and started assuming with things. She went because she is his friend, and didn't think she was going to be leaving as his girlfriend... I lobbied the idea that we should talk to him together and help explain, because I consider myself to be a nice guy and think it might make him feel a bit better to at least know I am not some random douchebag. The only complication is I will be leaving for a little over a month for travel... and I leave in two days. Not leaving us much time, since all of that time will be devoted to finals... and HE is gone until the day after I leave.... Bummer. Thanks for some meaningful input, though. It's always good to hear what more than two people can come up with as a solution... It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

it's not so much 'playing games.' I could have said that better. Like I said, she has made it pretty clear she wants nothing to do with him. I don't even know this guy. Never talked to him in my life. But I don't wanna be the "back the fuck off" guy, because she IS friends with him, and she doesn't wanna resort to basically the same thing, for the same reason. On one hand, it's fun to watch him keep insisting she is his, when she clearly isn't. But on the other hand, he seems reasonably nice, and I don't wanna see the guy get destroyed. So basically the question was does one of us just intervene and potentially ruin (that's how serious he is) their friendship, or try to just let him burn out on the idea. It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

Yeah, she has no problem with it.... But just to be safe, here's "casual" one... a picture where we both look horrendously awkward. Candy apples in San Francisco... she would be far left, that's my goofy ass on the bottom. It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

I'll admit I haven't read every thread, but I have not seen any outright complaints of any substantial matter about Voodoo's. I have a Voodoo. It fits great, it feels great, it flies great, it functions great. Never had a riser cover pop open, bridle is guarded very nicely, main flap always stays closed very securely. Both handles are pillows. I feel 100% confident with my rig in everything I do. Of course, that is everything I do. I am sure SOMEbody could find something wrong with it. Because nobody, or thing, is perfect. Ever. Even if it was, some ass would find something to complain about. IMO, any modern, well-fitting rig is going to work great. It's just gonna come down to individual features. For example, the pockets for the handles on my Voodoo can be removed for inspection/repair. I like that. Some don't. It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

So, I got myself this girl. We have been friends for some time now (letting her recover from a horrific past relationship). I won't get too mushy or detailed, but she is amazing. We even have the same sense of humor, which if you know me in person is quite a unique thing. Anyway, we have basically known for quite some time we were gonna be together, just when she was ready. About a month ago, she came around and things have been even more amazing! But now, the whole point... There is another guy who has been obsessed with her for quite some time as well. When he learned of her "single" status recently, he began barraging her with calls, myspace yadda yadda, instant messaging... you name it. He thinks he has her in the bag, basically. She went to his birthday party this weekend, and he even introduced her to a few other guys as his girlfriend. Well she and I have just been layin' back, watchin this poor guy. She has made it pretty obvious that she has no interest in him past being old high school friends. She says she even heard him talking at the party about how he "beat some other guy" (me) "to the punch, and now she's mine." How long do we let this game go on until we crush this poor guy? I mean, he sounds like a fragrant asshole, but at the same time, there should be a bit of a limit... don't wanna scar him or anything. I attached a photo of the new girly, since the credo of "no picture, it didn't happen" seems to apply to all aspects of a skydiver's life... It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

If you REALLY wanna do the Mr. Bill: Tandem harness, underneath your rig. Put it on backwards. You'll be able to hang on. Then, just have the 'TM' flex his feet while you, Mr. Bill, stand on them to unclip the harness. Then, you are free to do what you want! It's a bit of a giggle for everybody. It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

I refuse to accept simple complaints as a valid reason to stop using paypal. I have thousands of transactions with papal, and have never had a single issue with any of them. They even helped out with a few insurance problems on items, as well as helping out with seemingly missing orders. The only complaints I have with paypal is the time it takes to transfer the money from my paypal account, to my bank account. But even then, it is a completely reasonable amount of time. So, until I read some legit reasons as to why paypal is screwing up and not you, I will continue to do massive amounts of business through it. It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

i kept brushing by and noticed for a few hours nothing new was posted in the bonfire. I knew that was total bullshit, and thought maybe somebody had haxxored the forums. It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

I recently purchased a new helmet, which had a cameye installed on it. The button was set on the d-box, a seemingly logicaly position. However, when I took it off (It was for a PC-style, I have an HC), I couldn't help but break the little mounting plate it snaps into. I really tried to save it, but that sucker was on there for good. Anyway, now I have the back of the button exposed, and was wondering if anybody had any solutions? I'm sure i could just order a new mounting bracket thingama-jigger-bob... but I recall seeing some setups where the button was mounted from the inside of the helmet. Is this a plausable solution, or is there a special bracket for that? Could I simply drill a hole in the helmet large enough for the button, and then cover the back with some protective item (which would be handy to know as well. Not sure how well duct tape and those electronics would mix.)? It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

When facing the door, I have my right arm wrapped around the strut.. underneath, like i am giving it a one-armed hug. The 206 I jump, i can't hang on otherwise. I will usually supplement the hang a bit with my left arm, as it is pretty tough. The 182 I jump has some great griptape on the strut, like that of a skateboard. I can actually support my entire body weight by hanging on with just my right hand, for a fairly long time. I prefer not to. AS far as the bat hang... good luck! there is a method out there to do it right, but I haven't seen OR done it. Although I have filmed a buddy trying, and failing, a few times... It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

I have connections to a person involved fairly deep with both companies. I won't pull him into it, but basically, here is the bottom line that I have pulled out of every conversation about it: The infinity will leave more $$ in your pocket than a Mirage. More $$ for jumps. Neither has a significant safety advantage over the other, but they fit will be slightly different, as they have different features as far as padding patterns and such... I am no expert. I have jumped numerous infinity rigs, and they all felt great. Never jumped a mirage. That is just my overall understanding of the situation. It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

I have done a number of mock-tandems with jump buddies, just to ensure when I start filming them for $$, I get it right. I wrap my right arm around the strut, and hang my body off and just dangle. I consider myself to be physically fit guy, and will admit after about 5 seconds, is gets pretty killer on the arm. But it gives about an extra foot or two distance between the subject and I which works out much better for stills. (Even with a pretty wide-angle lens, it makes what i consider to be a big difference) As far as the bat-hang goes, I couldn't think of a more inefficient exit. First of all, I have never seen somebody successfully complete one. I know a few people who claim they have a method for doing it every time, but... haven't seen it. It is most definitely possible though. But after the exit, it seems (as I imagine doing it here in my desk chair) that it is a pretty big waste. The unique shot would be countered by the footage after that. It seems it would take a pretty intense neck-angle to slide down the hill on your back and not miss a shot. Or just give in to a quick back flip, also losing some footage. I would love to hear of anybody doing this as a serious method... and would love to see the footage. It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

I got on a plane to do a skydive 5 minutes after Cliff & Jay bounced. I can still remember the manifest speaker saying "Now call for DC-3" I was amazed they didn't shut down. I too was on that same DC-3 load. It was a big (by our standards) formation attempt by the Skydive New Mexico crew. We were all a the mock-up on the lawn when they bounced, not 30 yards from where we were. As the trolly took us out to the plane, the ambulance was pulling up. At the time, I only had 90 or so jumps, and was terrified, as well as baffled that operations did not stop. I later found out that Cliff did a lot of jumping at Hollister. While I never met him personally, I felt impacted even more, as I had just moved out to California for college, and had claimed Hollister as my new home DZ. I coped with the situation by reviewing with myself the nature of the sport. It is dangerous, and we have accepted that risk. The accidents at Eloy could have been prevented, but sport progression has thrown in some factors that obviously make exceptions, acceptable or not. Every time I climb out, I think about how all I need to do is pull myself back in that plane to significantly increase my chances of landing safely, or alive. But I know that at this point in time I am conservative, and don't exceed my experience or skill level if at all possible. I rest easy knowing that I have the knowledge to inspect my gear and approve it for a jump. I always pack my own canopy, and do my best to follow the jump plan. I do everything I can to keep my life in my hands, and any factors that i do not have control of, I maximize the safety and comfort factor. For example, I may jump primarily at Hollister, and no disrespect to the packers here, but I always have my reserve repacked when I go home to New Mexico. Just a comfort factor. I learned to skydive there, I know everybody on a personal level, and trust them with my gear, and therefore, my life. Whatever you decide, I hope it turns out well for you! It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

Why thank you much.... I am quite proud of it

I recently acquired a Flat Top Pro from a friend who purchased a new one. I didn't want his stickers and such on it, so I decided to sand it down, and paint it a nice glossy black (my colors are red/black). Glossy black soon turned to a faint silver gradient, starting at the chin, ending a little above the ears. The silver gradient eventually made me realize I need some red, to match my jumpsuits and rig. So, I grabbed some candy-apple red, and began to paint smoke on the side... smoke being something i have never tried painting before. Primarily, because I hate painting. Now, it has turned into layering clear coat/smoke, and I just added my signature to the right jaw area. Haven't decided what's going on the other side yet... but here is where it stands so far: http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l123/acashman19/RightSide.jpg I have done all the sanding, spray painting, and detail work in my dorm shower/room. The first couple layers of black wrinkled a bit, but i didn't really care because this wasn't going to be a long-term paint job. i was gonna wait until the summer, when I could spend more time on it. I guess I will just live with them now. Hope to be done by the end of the weekend. It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye