Marion

Hey Darin. Between this and your sinus issues, you're not doing well dude. Have you been talking about Dave's mom? My first canopy was a Sabre, which I flew for 75-ish jumps. It never slammed me, but 75 jumps is a really small sample size. My Sabre was very sensitive to packing technique, so much that once I got my method figured out, I wouldn't want to jump someone else's pack job on it. If you pack it yourself, it's easier to adjust your method to give you the best openings possible, since you know exactly how it was packed and how the opening felt. Next time you're packing, just grab me and I'll show you how I used to pack mine. I got the best openings when I focused on keeping the slider tight against the stops (roll the center part of the tail tight and hold it there as you put the canopy on the floor so the slider doesn't move) and rolling each group of four outside cells in toward the center cell while keeping the center cell out. Also- like someone said earlier... some canopies don't need packing tricks to open nicely. And it never hurts to say, "Dave's mom is a lovely lady" as you deploy. See ya this weekend.

Hey dude! We're usually closed Monday and Tuesday... we're got the big crw camp this weekend, but I think they're all leaving Sunday. You could stop by anyway to pick up your cooler.

... Darin and Keith, next time we bring Matt and Brian and have them show a little leg around Deland and maybe we can make some friends. You guys are strange. Remind me again why we get called freaks? Flat flyers ho-ing around Florida, showing some leg... geez. BOLAS! Dude, I still have that lunch cooler thingy from last Thanksgiving. Are you coming to see us again this year?

Just because you're working on the trailer for the spelling bee documentary this afternoon... elitist E-L-I-T-I-S-T elitist

Hi Guido!

I'm so sorry Joe...

Love you too sparkle face!

Speaking of funny photos from the weekend... Dave with his "Bahama Mama" or whatever girly drink that was. I think he just wants to be invited to the next dz girls' night.

Guido, I'm pretty much a non-CH person too. Eric- Where's the meeting? For those of you who are coming to dinner, it will probably be 8:30-ish. Let me know if you're coming so I know how much chicken to cook.

That sounds dirty... Guido- I'll be at the club meeting, so dinner will be between that and the show. Eric- does 8:00 sound good for dinner? Not sure how long the UNC meetings usually last.

I'll be there Thursday!

Hey Joe! I miss you! Have you seen my new jumpsuit? You just have to feel the fabric... supplex and spandex... oooooo I'm not jumping today either. I have a fever. WTF? It's August in NC. I don't need to be any hotter.

3 nights in a row... #35 with chicken and two veggie fajitas. Awesome weekend. The FF Jive thing was so much fun. I can't wait for more.

I won an Mxv helmet and added Cookie's cutaway, a Black Box and a Liquid 3 lens. I am so amazed by how comfortable this helmet is. The liner has padding of different thicknesses in parts of the helmet, which really helps it stay in one place on my head without being uncomfortably tight. It's also really lightweight, even with the chin cup, cutaway and Black Box on the side. The cutaway handle is very accessible on the chin cup, and the chin cup releases using a three ring system on one side. The Black Box has a clamshell design that I like, but I have to take my pc9 out of the helmet to charge it. Before I got the helmet, I was a little concerned about buying a helmet without trying it on first (I live in the US and don't know anyone with a Cookie helmet). The customer service from the people at Cookie has been great. After I put a few jumps on my Mxv, I emailed Jeremy because even with the chin cup as tight as it goes, I felt like I might want a slightly snugger fit. I thought he might tell me to add foam in the back of the head or just say that's how the helmet fits. When I got home from the dz, there was an email waiting for me saying that he had just mailed me a new chin cup with more padding. I really can't say enough about how comfortable this helmet is. I did a solo with my regular freefly helmet and realized that even with a camera mounted on the side, my Cookie helmet was more comfortable.

Woohoo! Congrats, Guido.

The video looks awesome! Almost as good as Cynci's new suit. Speaking of new suits, mine is pretty sweet too. Eric got some cool shots on Wednesday. And my new Cookie helmet is not too shabby either...

I love my Freak'N Suit. They have a lot of stock patterns (stripes, flames, swirls etc.), but they were happy to do a custom design for me. I just talked to them on the phone and faxed them a sketch of what I wanted. Ask about their new "Girly Option." They put a spandex V in the back of the suit, so the torso fits similar to an RW suit, without bagginess in the small of your back or around your waist. There is also spandex between the legs. I love the way the suit flies. I asked for mine to be slim through the upper body and baggier in the legs, and it's exactly what I asked for. I got mine last weekend so I can't speak for the durability of my suit yet, but friends have put their Freak'N Suits though years of use and abuse, and they still look good. Great people, great suit.

So I'm late getting out to the dz this afternoon... oops. See y'all this weekend. And BBall- down the hill all day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELLY AND EDINA!!!

I just paid for the extras for my mxv, so it's not here yet. (Thanks for buying my helmet, D2!

A few different video angles is never a bad thing... Unless people start fixating on the, uh, formation and carving and bumping into each other.

Can we play twister? How about some sort of event that combines Twister, hula hoops and creeper bowling? Casey and I are gonna kick your butts. And yeah- no more creepy stuff.

Woohoo! I've been waiting for the perfect time to bust out that shirt. Casey's on my team!

We'll miss you this weekend Guido!

I ordered an Ouragan Suit in January and received it in May. I got the suit, and it looked great, but the fit was off. I sent Ouragan an email describing the problem and attached photos and paid to send the suit back to Ouragan for them to fix. Soon afterward, I checked my bank account balance and it was off. I looked at the detail and saw a charge from Ouragan- They had shipped my suit and charged me without my authorization. VISA gave me my money back before Ouragan did. The suit still did not fit. I was really unhappy about the unauthorized charge and the expectation that I would pay for shipping both ways because of a mistake on Ouragan's part (either manufacturing or measuring), and I asked Ouragan about whether I could get a refund and send the suit back to them. They said I could get a refund for all but the $200 deposit. I had trouble getting in touch with Ouragan to get my refund. Two weeks later,Ouragan acknowledged that they had previously emailed me that all but the $200 deposit was refundable, but said that because I paid with a gift certificate, all but the $400 gift certificate was refundable. Ouragan later denied ever telling me that I would receive the larger refund. I was unhappy with my experience because (1) Ouragan expected me to pay for shipping both ways because of an Ouragan mistake; (2) Ouragan charged my debit card without my permission; (3) Ouragan told me I would receive a refund of all but $200, then two weeks later said could get a refund of all but $400, then denied making the initial refund offer. I don't mind waiting and paying more for a high quality suit, but the customer service problems were too much for me.