Namowal

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Posts posted by Namowal

  3. Quote

    41 years ago today, some loonie set fire to the Casino in Montreux, switzerland, during the Frank Zappa concert.
    This event marked the writing of one of the greatest moments of rock n roll.

    Thanks loonie



    Just heard it playing on the radio. It occurred to me that if it had been sung in a language I didn't understand, I'd probably misinterpret it as an upbeat "Wow, something cool is going on!" tune. :P
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  4. Quote

    As someone who has been in a similar situation all I can say is this. In the moment of crisis a split second decision is not always altruistic, efficacious or efficient.



    I agree. It's not a matter of people thinking "I suppose I could help him but... ...nah"
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  6. Quote


    1)Whats your personal motivation behind jumping out of an airplane.


    At first it was the novelty. Then it was the challenges: dealing with fear (it did scare me!) and learning new skills. Now (well, I'm grounded for a bit) it's still about challenges: dealing with nerves, learning new skills (always new stuff to learn here.) Also it's a very unique experience- as others have said, freefall doesn't look or feel much like falling. It's a lot like flying. And the canopy ride is fun too
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    2) What factor does adrenaline [play?]in YOUR own skydives.


    I don't enjoy adrenaline that much. Too much of it can be distracting IMHO.
    I've heard (non skydivers) say stuff like "People who skydive don't react to adrenaline the way normal people do so they have to do crazy stuff to have fun..." but I don't think that applies to everyone.
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    3)What factor does pushing your skills to the next level play in your time in the sky



    A lot. There's so much to learn! I suppose the "pushing skills to the next level" could be split off into two categories. Were you thinking in terms of learning to do more exciting and risky moves? Or mastering the basics? I'm defiantly more into mastering the basic stuff- partially because it's safer, partially because I'm not very good at them yet, and partially because I believe it it will come in handy in the long run. But that's just me...
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  7. Quote

    Anyone got some I can borrow:ph34r:

    The Brand has some value, maybe we could start a twinkee futures mkt in case a investor decides to start producing again.

    Ebay is going :S over twinkee's.:o



    I couldn't believe it when I passed the Hostess section at the market and found it had been raided. I was thought "For ^! sake, these are $%@ing Twinkies and Ding Dongs! They're not that good! You could get something taster at the bakery or the donut shop!"

    People want what they can't have, I suppose.

    But, as others have suggested, I'm sure new incarnations of these things will debut soon.
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  8. Quote


    They have a brand, and they market it very, very shrewdly.



    Yep. I've suspected that's how they work. They trot out some silly, outrageous or offensive notion, knowing full well they'll be widely scolded and mocked. This in turn probably brings new people to their website, even if they're only looking for more craziness.
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  10. Quote

    I'd like to add "thinking outside the box" to the list.

    Don


    Agreed.

    I'm getting tired of "for all intents and purposes" and it's demented twin, "for all intensive purposes."
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  11. Quote

    So comparing styles:

    Last week I attended an event at the Pritzker Military Library in Chicago. The national anthem was sung by an enlisted soldier (female) iN a lovely clear voice, just as written. Really nice.

    Today watching NFL the anthem was sung by some 2nd rate female entertainer in a warbling voice, with trills and octave jumps, and it sounded just dreadful. Why do these people think they can improve it?



    I find the surprise octave jump to be especially annoying. It's the music equivalent of typing in caps:
    "O'er the land of the FreEEEEEE!":S
    Not sure if it's showing off or, as others have suggested, one of many tricks singers use to hide that they'd have trouble singing the song the way it was written.
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  14. Back when I started the sport, an older jumper mentioned to me that he found it annoying that a lot of the younger jumpers didn't recognize (or hadn't heard of) distinguished jumpers from the past and even the present.
    In your opinion, is there a list of skydivers you think all of us should be familiar with? Who are they? (Aside from yourself, of course ;)...
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  16. I did the observation ride yesterday because have to wait until January before I can jump again. It was more fun than I thought.
    One funny detail- when the plane slowed for jump run I found myself getting nervous. I knew I wasn't jumping, but more primitive parts of my brain reacted otherwise....:$

    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  17. Quote

    Oh my! I feel like a celebrity just commented in my thread...wowee! :$




    I read this reply first without reading who it was addressed to and thought Celebrity? Did Felix Baumgartner or someone chime in here? Then I found it it was to me, noob of noobs, and no role model (at least when it comes to exiting the plane) :$
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    I love your blog and think of it often- especially when I hit those rough spots along the journey. Thank you so much for your inspiration- you have an incredible gift.


    Thanks. I never knew it would inspire anyone when I first started working on it. So much of it was (and is) unflattering: me being afraid, me screwing up etc.. I guess the good news is that you don't need to be fearless or flawless to get better at the sport. :)
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  18. Quote

    Most whuffos don't really understand what actually happens before, during and after a jump. Add "selective reception" and all the stereotypes they get from the media and you'll see the result. Some of my colleagues still refer to my broken humerus as "due to you bouncing". I tried to convey the basic idea of what a "premature opening" means but most folks simply don't listen not to tell about keep it in their mind :|



    Yep. It's actually rather interesting how people see and hear what they expect to see and hear, as opposed to what's actually going on. (That's how a lot of magic tricks work.)
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    I hope you are doing well?!


    I'm doing great. I can walk almost normally (and as far as I want) and am gaining a better range of motion with my arm. And the doctor said my bones were healing quickly.B|
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    The rolling barrel obviously wasn't your favourite playground attraction but all those older kids who played tricks on you or mastered the rolling barrel better aren't able to do a barrel roll in freefall, so you're now even with them. (Better late than never, huh? ;))


    Good point! :)fun than than that !@%^! barrel.
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  20. Quote

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    I have gotten some minor "that's what you get for jumping out of a plane" attitude from non-skydivers. The fact that a big piece of the accident puzzle had to door with my poor setup position in the door seems besides the point to them.:$



    Still on your mind, eh? :D Ahhh! What the subconscious reveals! :P:)


    D'oh! That door gets me every time!:D
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  21. Quote

    One of Namowal's old pre-skydiving blog posts addressed the issue of how easy it is to attribute others' misfortune to being their own damn fault.

    (http://tailotherat.blogspot.ca/...s-where-are-you.html)

    Hmm, the cartoon can well be applied to skydivers (and slightly broken novice skydiver cartoonists)..



    Heh heh. I'd forgotten about that old post.
    I have gotten some minor "that's what you get for jumping out of a plane" attitude from non-skydivers. The fact that a big piece of the accident puzzle had to door with my poor setup position in the door seems besides the point to them.:$

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    BTW: Namo had feathers at her arms by this time. Maybe they were pulled out by the wind when she started skydiving?


    :D
    My original duck character was much more birdlike, with feathered wings and the works. Over time the character became more "cartoony" because it was more flexible to draw the character interacting with the real world.
    I believe this was one of my last cartoons that used feathered wings. (Even as a kid, I was crashing into stuff. );)
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  23. Quote

    You have a great attitude. Good luck with your recovery.

    Also that gunman is lucky he didn't leave with a webbed footprint in his ass.



    HehHeh:D

    Truth be told the dismembered Black Knight from "The Holy Grail" would have been a more formidable opponent than me (broken or intact), but it's a funny thought. B|

    p.s. Here's a news report about the search for the suposed "gunman."

    Also thanks to the rest of you (nanook, oldwomanc6, normiss, wolfriverjoe, Abedy, skymama, JohnMitchell) for your encouragement.:)
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

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    These ducks have a hard time walking on ice clicky
    This video shows why we shouldn't jump in high winds... :)B|



    Good ones.:D
    I also found a photo of "me" in rehab. Looks like they got the date wrong, but otherwise it's familiar...


    So um. . .*cough* *ahem*. . .Do you have Aflac?


    Groan! :D [roll eyes] :D [roll eyes]


    We, as a group, are so slow, :$ It took this long for someone to catch it!

    Jennifer, I hope you are doing well and progressing on target. :)


    Thanks! I don't have anyone to compare myself with but I think I'm doing well. Still can't do much with the busted arm (I was told not to mess with it,) but I've been excercising the "bad" leg and it's getting much more flexible. B|
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.