Namowal

I guess there is something that can be learnt from this kind of TV-programming. That show would have come in handy in my student days when I was spooked by the door: Replace the green light with a screening of that and I'd be out that door so fast... My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Good point. Sometimes it's like part of my brain is a bratty five-year-old, throwing a fit because other people are better than me (with less time and practice) and that's not fair. Waah. I need to remember that this attitude is about as helpful now as it was when I was in preschool. Nothing good will come of it. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

That's cute. Sadly, my dancing ability is right up there with my landing ability when there's not much wind.. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Good questions. The poor landings really annoy me because I've tried so hard to do everything right. I took the DZ canopy course (where luckily or unluckily I happened to land ok when I was being taped!) I dedicate part of my canopy time to practice flares and exercises. Yet I'm still doing some plow jobs. That being said, here's some things I've noticed: 1. I land fine if there's a breeze. Bad landings happen when there's no wind. Even if I flare when I'm supposed to, I'm still going rather fast and tend to fall forward (or sideways, if I time the PLF correctly). More than one coach suggested that the canopy I'm renting may be too big- it's a 210 and I don't weigh that much. They think too much forward speed may be a problem and say I should try a 190. I realize this is a departure from the usual "Don't downsize until you've mastered your current size" advice. 2. Some of my earlier bad landings were compounded by flaring too high. I'm getting better at not doing this. 3.My worst landing (the one that started the problem) was when I told myself "This time you're not going to flare so soon! I don't care how close the ground looks." Guess who flared too low and banged up her leg? D'oh! If I don't get my landing act together soon, I'm coughing up some money to get them taped and critiqued, as you suggested. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Several weeks back I banged up my knee and ankle in a sloppy landing. Nothing serious- mind you, just some swelling, bruising, stiffness. No pain that Advil can't tackle. Nothing's broken or sprained. However, ever since it happened- I'm seeing a pattern. By the end of the week, said leg is still a bit sensitive but more or less normal. Then I go to the DZ, have a klutzy landing (I usually have at least one), and I'm back with a fat knee, fat ankle, and a cranky limpy leg. Part of me thinks "You're just making it worse. Take some time off and let it heal." The other part of me thinks "So? You can stand on it. You can walk. Fellow jumpers have smashed their bones to pieces and you're worried about this? Wimp! Get out there and jump!" So should I stop whining and get myself back to the DZ? Or cool it for a week or two, just to be safe? My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Ted Baxter? Is that you? My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Interesting comment. How would a person know if they were a "true" homosexual or not? Is it just a matter of who a person is sexually attracted to? That's how I understand it. Just the same way as heterosexuals are attracted to members of the opposite sex. Chuck Or left handers are "wired" to use their left hands. In either case I find it hard to believe that any one chooses to use their left hand (or be attracted to their own gender) just for the heck of it. To play devil's advicate, one could argue that "being born that way" doesn't automatically make any behavior okay. If my neighbor was somehow born to be inclined to strangle people, I'd have a problem with him (or her.) But if they want to date or marry someone the same gender as themselves, it doesn't bother me. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

I've hit the ground under canopy like that more than once... My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

I've noticed skydiving videos with music tend to have "Does this rock or what!?" style soundtracks. Are there any examples of ones with more unusual music (Classical? Novelty? Showtunes? 1920s Jazz etc.?) Specifically, ones with unusual soundtracks where the odd music actually compliments what's going on in the video? I realize this is a matter of opinion. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

I'm not progressing as fast as I'd like to, but it's still exciting when I'm able to do something I couldn't do before! :) I suspect my brain has super-sized amygdalae. Dumb ol' amygdalae. Well, I am slowly getting desensitized to sitting by the door as I've found myself sitting near it lately. I'm still not crazy about the "on the floor just inches away from it" seat, but at least there's fresh air and a view. :) My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

I get the Random Skydiving Bruises too. Lately I've been getting funny black 'n' blue stripes along the side of my foot. I've seen similar stripes on sprained ankles- but I this ankle isn't sprained: I never twisted it, it doesn't hurt, and it's fully functional. Go figure. On the flip side, I've taken a few spills where I thought "Youch, that's gonna leave a mark." Yet no bruises developed. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Here's the newest one: Guess who needs to learn to calm down? [ url http://tailotherat.blogspot.com/2012/08/blog-post.html]Relax![/url] My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

How much of an exaggeration is this? Are there really people out there with 50-100 jumps who think they're ready to swoop? I'd hate to think of how many pieces I'd be in if I tried something like that... My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Thanks, GLIDEANGLE and DSE! My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

A few weeks ago I put a post here asking if there was an online quiz to help prepare me for the B-licence quiz. Some replies reminded me that it would be wise to study the SIM in its entirety (and beyond licence quiz time,) to make sure I was as safe and knowledgeable as possible. With that in mind, are there any reliable quizzes (or lists of questions you should be able to answer) based on the SIM in its entirety? Not to cram for a specific quiz, but to test that I know the manual thoroughly? Or is it time for me to make a box of flash cards? My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

That drives me nuts too. I'm not the world's best housekeeper, but dirty dishes in the sink is just nasty. Edited to add: Maybe it's because I'm older, but am I the only one who finds instant messages very annoying? For example (my interpretation in brackets): I have no problem with emails, facebook messages, phone messages etc... but the "stop what you're doing and watch me type" nature of instant messages drive me crazy. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

On rainy weekends when I can't jump, I just stick a dirty sock in my mouth, light a $100 dollar bill on fire and throw myself down the stairs a few times. It's just like I spent a day at the DZ.

I was suspicious that had something to do with it. So I'll add "Rental Rash" to the list. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Is there an official nickname for those funny upper-arm bruises that show up after a day of jumping? Sky Bites? Deployment Dings? Harness Hickeys? My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

That never gets old. As for me, I was about seven months old, so if I watched it I don't remember it. I do remember the reading You Will Go to the Moon as a little kid, and looking forward to my trip there... My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Have fun! My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

If you ever visit Germany, tell me in advance and I'll drop by and serve you a sixpack of Duckstein (and jump with you if there's any chance...) Thanks! My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Yikes. At least nobody was in it. Still a sad sight. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

I've noticed that too. Fiftysomething jumps has way more clout off the drop zone. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Well, if I want to get cute the next time I bring beer, I know what kind to look for! My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.