HeatherB

I was more nervous about going higher, not lower. (yeah, it doesn't make sense now) Climbing out on the strut was the wierdest part for me....I had this fear that I'd slip and knock myself out on the step. I hated opening the door myself too. I'm glad I started with IADs because I was never afraid of getting out "low" later on. It seems common for recent AFF grads to be incredibly afraid of getting out below 5 grand or so. Since I am at a big DZ, I have not gotten out low in a while though. If I want to do a hop and pop and play with a canopy, I do it from 13.5.

Congratulations, chica! Are you still grinning from ear to ear? I'm glad that cold front didn't hit until today. I don't think we could have gotten you in the pond if it was this cold the other day! Brr!

Uh-oh. My chili has dark red kidney beans in it. Will I be shunned in Texas? Do I need to alter my recipe before moving there? (Seriously though...chocolate? That sounds really wierd)

How about 4: Reserve Handle RSL/Skyhook AAD Dislodged pin (it happens...)

For what it's worth, I was taught the 2 hands per handle method, but was told to visually locate the reserve handle before chopping and to keep my eyes on it while chopping. Not as foolproof as physically grabbing it...but it is better than blindly chopping without having checked where your reserve handle is. (pillow reserve flipped under your harness or other bad situation) As far as RSLs...I'm willing to be that the last thing on my mind during a low canopy collision would be "hey, lemme grab that tiny litle tab on my RSL shackle so that I don't have a reserve out immediately." Has anyone actually ever done that? Sweet jesus, people. KISS. (I don't have an RSL....I'm just trying to imagine that scenario)

Commercial-free....nice! I may try that out at some point. Although I'm getting a new car sometime soon and a CD player should keep me happy for a while. (current car only has a cassette player) Congrats to you on your new house as well! Too bad you didn't want to move to the Z-hills area, I would have given you a deal on my house.

Happy birthday from one midget to another! You still passed out somewhere??

More than a bit naive. He doesn't even seem to know if there are canopies in it. (looks like there are, but it could be stuffed with newspaper, lol) And the Cypres...he has no clue what to call it, what it does, or the market value for one. I haven't rec'd a reply from him. I hope it isn't stolen gear and that someone just got desperate for money and pawned it.

I am trying to do just that. It is a small world and it'd be nice to verify whether or not the gear is legitimately on the market. There are a bunch of bids already. I just asked for serial numbers and told him where to find them. He probably won't respond. It's not in his best interest to respond since he already has bids. Someone is going to get this stuff for a steal.

Oh, look, an "auto release sensor!" Fishy, fishy. I've asked him for some info...I'll post if I get anything.

So, I am cleaning out my extra bedroom in anticipation of moving and I found a pile of old letters from my father. For those of you with kids or intending to have kids, write them letters! When they go away to Grandma's for a month, go away to summer camp or anywhere else...for their birthdays and other occasions, write them letters. They will mean so much to them at that time, and then again when they re-discover them 10, 20, 30 years later. I love those letters from my Dad. I just told him how much they mean and I thanked him for all of them. When I see him in person next week, I will thank him again.

I thought they said May/June.... March/April would be nice though! Check out the attached photo of the Biggest House Ever. (we went for something a tad smaller) Phree: You are correct. Although I refuse to like country music!

1:2:0 1 new house bought 2 houses currently owned 0 beer owed. No skydiving related activities this weekend....was a little too busy for that!

Call me when you're in FL, my messican friend :) I'm outta state this weekend but will be enjoying some time off for the next couple of weeks! (it's a long story). A drinkin' night is in order! --Bucky

I have my heat on right now...it was 70 degrees in my house when I got home!

It's already kinda chilly outside! Windy but barely raining now over here in Tampa.

I will save your ears and not sing "happy birthday" to you over the phone.

Yeah. The hotline says it's "business as usual" at our site tomorrow. A lot of people will call in sick because all the schools are closed and they have to stay home with their kids. And others will just say "screw it, I'm not driving through this crap." It's raining cats and dogs here. But not much wind yet.

I heard from my Dad again yesterday morning, but no word since then. They are probably just without power and can't email or call. I have a zillion relatives in the Yucatan. Hopefully they are all okay. (yeah, I don't look Mexican at all, but it's true, lol) Poor Naples. Looks like immediate Tampa area will be okay. I'm not looking forward to the morning drive into work though. If I die, someone sue my employer on my behalf, okay? All the schools are closed. Lucky little brats. Hey, on the bright side...a cold front is supposed to move in on Tuesday, so at least all those people w/o power will not die from heat exhaustion! Last year was awful. Hot and sticky for 4 days at my house and that was pretty lucky.

We're gonna be fine. Big baby. It's supposed to weaken a ton before it gets to Florida. Although they did move the track just a tad north. The Yucatan is sucking. Merida is packed with evacuees from the east coast. According to an email from my dad, the streets are like a ghost town, with curfews in effect for tonight.

Are you talking about Citizens? It isn't just rich people along the beach who have Citizens (the state-funded insurance). I live nowhere near the beach, and I have Citizens because my prior company dropped me (along with many other people in my county due to "sinkhole exposure"...yeah, right). People all over the state, both inland and along the coast, have Citizens because they've been dropped by other companies. As soon as another company takes on new policies in my area, I will switch. In fact, Citizens has to let you know if another company is available, and then you switch. Citizens sucks, but many people (both rich, and poor) are stuck with it at the moment.

My parents are in Merida (in the Yucatan) right now, visiting relatives. Yikes! For those of us who can read Spanish, check out what's going on in the Yucatan: http://www.yucatan.com.mx/

No, no, no....haven't you heard the chants in the plane yet? Muff brothers = *ssholes. (don't really want to type out bad words at work, lol)

Welcome to Z-hills! Please excuse my interrogation at dinner the other night...I'd had a drink! You're look taller in person than in your avatar. I didn't recognize you. Random pieces of unsolicited advice/info: 1. Don't go to the Crystal. It's scary. 2. When Marko is flying, a "get it on" call really does mean 5 minutes. 3. Tip Paul at the bar. He's cool and he seems to have everyone's favorite drinks memorized. 4. Be nice to Sandy. She bites. 5. Watch out for gators in the swoop pond! (Well, we've only found one in there so far, but still...) 6. You must be muffed and hellfished. It's standard protocol. 7. Don't swat love-bugs too hard. They're juicy and they stain clothing. lol 8. On the south side of Chancey Road, there's a huge field with steps that go over the barb-wire fence. If you are landing off south of the DZ, look for that field! 9. Watch out for that little hill towards the back of the landing area. It can sneak up on you. 10. You're an asshole. And it's okay. We all are!

White top skin = bad idea...especially for the center cell. They look NASTY after a while due to sweaty/dirty packers. I had a "Irish flag" colored Sabre when I first started jumping. The white center cell turned yellow/brownish from being packed by sweaty packers. My current canopy is pink in the middle (it was a demo!) and I wear a shirt while packing. (of course) Big difference! The center cell is still purty.