Laraine

Hi, I'm arriving in Phoenix on Tuesday night (7th March) at about 3.30pm, and am wondering if anyone is able to give me a lift, either that evening or Wednesday morning/afternoon? Very happy to pay for gas. Thanks very much!

I did my first balloon jump on the weekend at the Mansfield Balloon festival. After whingeing about getting out of bed at such a ridiculous hour and the fact that it was freezing, the experience of silent freefall for the first few seconds was amazing. The sky was a brilliant blue and I shared the canopy ride with about twenty other balloons against a backdrop of mountain ranges. It felt really good to be alive.

Jasmin, Bless your cotton socks. 'Grow up' sounds quite endearing when voiced by a 20year old. As Skinflicka remarked, it is not compulsory to read anybody's posts, nor is there a requirement to play the role of 'protector' and control everyone's level of interaction. I'm finding this thread really informative - not to mention entertaining - even though I am a highly experienced BASE jumper myself, (having done one jump off an un-named bridge). I'm sure you have a lot of good things to contribute to any topic, as we all do. My concern is the level of hypocrisy I see in your communication. My mother is a grown-up and does not use this kind of language. Also, men never grow up. (This is not a criticism, just an observation.) Speakin' of bitchin'.... Backstabbing is only back-stabbing when it is not voiced publicly. Personally I think a bit of sledging is quite good fun and not necessarily good-for-nothing. Labelling people as pathetic, and then berating them for insulting others is a somewhat questionable technique. To pinch, Skinflicka's line again, don't take it too seriously. Personally I think you're all stark-raving mad (BASE jumpers that is), but I have the utmost respect for you as well and I look forward to reading some more juicy stuff.