Pammi

It was last fall, so that's probably why you wouldn't have seen it. On my second 15 sec delay (I had been doing IAD) I got in a spin that I got too engrossed in getting out of because I didn't want to pull 'unstable'. So was adjusting this and that, didn't seem like I had been falling long at all (although from 7,000 feet, it doesn't take long as we all know!) but when I looked at my alti it said 1500'. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Did a clear-and-pull the next weekend, but then had a serious illness with my mom after that, so didn't get back up 'til last month again. I was definately more nervous then I thought I'd be, but I've done pretty well since. Still fighting turns, but I think I have it licked finally. Regardless, even when I had a very fast, violent turning a few jumps ago, I still checked my alti faithfully and pulled at 4,000 as I'd been instructed to. Lowest I've gotten since was 3,000 (500 below what I'd intended) a couple jumps ago while doing a track for my student jump. I've learned that it goes much faster then I usually think...so check, check, check and PULL! It never seems like very long before it's over. *sigh* (I have a Dytter waiting for me at the DZ this weekend that I ordered, but like we've talked about before on here...I don't want to rely on it...it's MY responsibility to keep track of my altitude.) Pammi

Pssst...if you find the original one, you can pass it this way... [grin] lol Pammi

Lummy - yeah, I was. I'm actually not sure why it didn't since it was on student gear which is set a little higher, of course. I'm lucky in all respects really....first words to the DZO after he chewed my ass was "do I still get to come jump?". Really expected him to tell me to leave and not come back! It's all good now tho :) He's a great guy and actually very protective of me...it's sweet :) Pammi

She mentioned once that actually getting jumps doesn't seem to help...it just makes you want more! I got 5 jumps, the most I have gotten in one weekend before (shut up you guys in the big dz's who always get that many..lol!) and I am going crazier then normal trying to wait until this weekend! To top it off, I spent last weekend down in the same town where the DZ is and purposely didn't take my rig because I knew it would be too much temptation for me to have it there and not jump, like we'd promised we wouldn't for one weekend. To top it off, I'm finally on my own rig and only have one more thing to do then I'll 'officially' be off student status (I also took so long to get there that I'm not far from being able to get my A license now..lol!). ARGH!! The longest week in history!! Sorry, just had to whine a bit. If you look at 'who's online' at any time, you'll probably find me here...I've been living here lately trying to get through til the weekend! Pammi

Sis-I remember you checking it after your jump in the pack room. Did you happen to check with Mike to see if he might have it?? Pammi

That's funny! I figured you were going to say that the cat knocked the light in and electrocuted them :) Pammi

Welcome back! Sounds like a lot of fun...and I *am* jealous :) Pammi

Hmm...well I've always had a lot of animals around, growing on a farm and all (including many 'non-farm animals' we helped with if we found them and they needed it), but the funniest thing I think that ever happened was when I was 'babysitting' a raccoon (a baby, but still pretty large...about 30 pounds or so at that time)for my parents when they went out of town (after I'd moved out). I had a fishtank that only had a goldfish left in it (I am horrible with fish...they all usually die off slowly...I feed them, I swear!) Anyway...I was letting the 'coon run around a little in the house to get some exercise and went to another room for a moment. A second later I hear "splash!" and start back towards the living room. Here comes the coon, wet. He was licking his lips and my goldfish was gone. LOL! It was kinda sad for the fish, but hilarious all the same. I didn't think he'd actually be able to catch it! Hehe. Pammi

Ah, that sucks! You'll come across it, I know it!

I just saw this! Did you ever find it?? Pammi

Congrats Skreamer!!!! Way to go!! Pammi

Glad to hear you had such a good weekend FP! The skydiving community is such an amazing one. Once a part of the 'family', always a part...you'll always have friends watching out for you (even those of us you haven't met yet!) I felt the same after my 5 months of non-jumping...what was I thinking? I don't intend to make that mistake again

Welcome back Skymama! You're story is inspiring and it's so good to hear your family supports you! Blue skies! Pammi

You have no luck at all do ya Sis?! You leave to go jump, and rain, you go home to jump...rain! Um...don't know if I want you coming back up here if rain follows you! Nah...it's supposed to be about the same this weekend up here, but this is our 'relative work weekend'...making up to the family for being gone so much lately :) (Do any of you have any idea how many jumps it costs for Blues Clues Live tickets?!?! Insane!) It's supposed to be sunny next weekend tho when we're back at the DZ!! Pammi (Is there a skydiver detox?? I swear I got more last weekend then I ever have and it only made the wanting it now worse!! LOL!)

Those are cool guys...thanks for the ideas! I have two I need to get touched up and another I'm dying to get (but it costs a "lot" of jump tickets *G*), now I have a new idea! Pammi

You could be right Zen...I'd had a 'couple' of beers at that point and 'someone' kept talking :) I didn't tape it! How stupid is that?! You'll have to let me know what it was exactly they said... Pammi (...and as Merrick said...I kinda like not being 'the norm' anyway! Never was, so why start now?!

My only problem with the show was in the beginning they talked about it being a 'male' 'testostrone' thing...there was even a woman in the class! Hmph. If I were being objective, I'd mention that they said that's the 'steretypical skydiver' (male) and men DO dominate the sport, but c'mon! Pammi

*laugh* Ah, 'ode to beer...hehe. TGIF and mine's in hand now! If you can't jump, drink! Pammi

With the exception of the original poster, I don't think any of us disagree with you Cloud9. As I said in my post, it's definately not a moment I'm proud of and it nearly knocked me out of the sport completely because I was so afraid of my own stupidity. I would never do it on purpose. I HAVE met people who do, though...I just choose to not be one of them, even when I gain more experience. I have a life, husband, children, etc, etc, to consider. No need to prove my Mom (and some other whuffo's) right by hurting myself, or even worse, killing myself and making the sport look bad. Pammi

Had this in an email also and thought I'd share it for a laugh :) Have a fun and safe weekend everyone! Pammi So true, so true.... Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, "It is better that I drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver."--by Jack Handy I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day.--Frank Sinatra The problem with some people is that when they aren't drunk, they're sober.--William Butler Yeats An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools. --Ernest Hemingway Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut. --Ernest Hemingway Time is never wasted when you're wasted all the time. --Catherine Zandonella Reality is an illusion that occurs due to lack of alcohol. --Anonymous Drinking provides a beautiful excuse to pursue the one activity that truly gives me pleasure, hooking up with fat, hairy girls.-- Ross Levy A woman drove me to drink and I didn't even have the decency to thank her.--W.C. Fields What contemptible scoundrel has stolen the cork to my lunch? --Tee Mans When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading. --Henny Youngman Life is a waste of time, time is a waste of life, so get wasted all of the time and have the time of your life. -- Michelle Mastrolacasa I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy. --Tom Waits 24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? --Stephen Wright When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk, we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin. When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. Sooooo, let's all get drunk and go to heaven!-- Brian O'Rourke You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.--Frank Zappa Always remember that I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me. --Winston Churchill Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. --Benjamin Franklin If you ever reach total enlightenment while drinking beer, I bet it makes beer shoot out your nose.--Deep Thought, Jack Handy Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza. --Dave Barry The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind. --Humphrey Bogart Why is American beer served cold? So you can distinguish it from urine. --David Moulton Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world. --Kaiser Wilhelm Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in beer. --Dave Barry All right, brain, I don't like you and you don't like me - so let's just do this and I'll get back to killing you with beer.--Homer Simpson You know you're drunk when you fall off the floor. And God said, "Let there be vodka!" And He saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let there be light!" And then He said, "Whoa - too much light." You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on. --Dean Martin Beer: Helping ugly people have sex since 1862! Remember "I" before "E", except in Budweiser. To some its a six-pack, to me it's a support Group. Scotch - Because one doesn't solve the world's problems over white wine

Well, I didn't land off the DZ because it's so huge. I did, however, plan on it. The trees in between me and the DZ looked aweful close so I was looking around for a place to land on the other side when I heard the DZO yelling at me over the radio, directing me back. I was sure I wasn't going to make it over them and remember thinking "gosh this is gonna hurt" while contemplating what they taught us about covering our faces if you're gonna land in a tree but followed his directions cuz he's bada$$. I knew he'd land me safely if I just listened, and he did, just on the other side of them. Was definately not an experience I want to repeat! Pammi

Um...whoops :) No swimsuit! Pammi

Hey now Merrick! LOL! Thanks guys...I'll say something to the rigger at my DZO and see what he thinks. I just assumed that I was SOL since I was so short *shrug* Does stowing the slider make a big difference? The kind that is on it right now is one with velcro. Pammi

ROFL! That was hilarious Sangiro!! Pammi

Good grief...I have all kinds of 'drunk and stupid' stories from my bartending days. Let's see...there's the one where I stripped down at a party and dove into the shallow end of the pool, smashing my face. Oh gawd, the worst I think is while I was at a meeting out-of-town and a bunch of us girls went out to this country-western dance club. We all drink way too much at these things, but I outdid myself that night since it was my birthday that weekend too. I tried riding the mechanical bull a couple of times (are you kidding me!? I couldn't ride that sober!) then told my friends I was going to the restroom. On the way there, I passed some girls lining up for a contest. I asked what they were doing and decided that it sounded like it would be fun, so joined in, forgetting all about the bathroom. A few minutes later my friends (and boyfriend at the time) got to watch drunk-ass me climb way up on this DJ booth (thank heavens I didn't fall off! LOL!) and join in a fake-orgasm contest. *blush* I *did* win second anyway (the girl after me cheated..she copied!). (sorry Merrick...I know my drunk stories make you 'proud'..lol) That's the only one I will share...it would just get worse from there :) I was very bad for a while :/ Pammi