skydiver30960

Fruit Stripe. ... Bwaaahahhahhahaha! Ok, I TRIED to keep a straight face. Elvisio "Big Red for me" Rodriguez

Interesting, I took your example the other way: there aren't many rules on the internet about how to treat others (analogous to the town without signage) and most folks treat others like complete asshats on the internet.

Don't worry; He has madd skilz. And he's going to pull a badass 270 and swoop the hell out of that round! Elvisio "I found that turning the canopy just changed the view, not much else" Rodriguez

Depending on the market, renting isn't always a bad thing. It's often cheaper per month, you don't have to worry about falling real estate prices, and you have the mobility that home owners don't. I recently read that Switzerland, with one of the highest standards of living, has one of the lowest home ownership rates in Europe. You bet, I was definitely speaking sarcastically. We're waiting to hear back on an offer we have in on a short sale, and it's a SWEET pad, but I still lament the loss of freedom and added responsibility that will come with home ownership. Elvisio "I really want a pool, though" Rodriguez

Don't fear the Skype. Download and install in about three minutes. If your computer has a built in camera, you're aces. If not, you can buy one at your favorite office or computer store for a couple bucks. The only thing I can think of that would be different from a real interview would be to make sure you set up your computer and camera in a neutral, embarrassment-free location. For example, make sure that collection of vodka bottles you've had since college isn't behind you during the interview. Sounds like a cool way to get the interview done if it's long distance. My first interview for my current job was a telephone interview with a cell phone at my end and a speaker phone at the other. Needless to say, it sucked. Skype would have been a huge improvement. Let us know how it goes. Elvisio "hope you get the gig" Rodriguez

So you're saying THIS isn't the secret to a "fuller, more fulfilling 'me'?" (See attachment) http://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy107/skydiver30960/IMG_20110705_121608.jpg Ok, thanks for the heads-up (pun intended? you decide). Elvisio "who needs surgery when you have home depot" Rodriguez

Can you open the nose cone in flight? Just open the front and rear at the same time and all the jumpers would spit out in about 1 second! Elvisio "woo hoo!" Rodriguez

Yes, yes, yes, all of us renting know how stupid we all are to even ever CONSIDER renting. Of course we're all doing so by (stupid) choice; not that we can't afford our own place or we're trying very hard to save up so we can buy our own place or anything like that. Back to the OP: what is the date on the sale? For as much as I love all the free advice we get here on DZ.com from doctors, lawyers, teachers, business people, zombie hunters, and dominatrices, the best thing to do would be to buy an hour of a lawyer's time and sit down with them and have a little face time talking about the particulars of your case. It'll be well worth it in the long run. Elvisio "househunting as we speak" Rodriguez

I bought a hat recently. When purchased, there was a small sticker on the hat with a drawing of the hat sitting on water and a note: "I float!" Obviously, a good draw for boaters or fishermen. BUT, under the statement on the sticker: "Not a personal flotation device." Who thinks their hat will keep them from drowning? We, as a species, are all done for... we just don't know it yet. Elvisio "instructions on a box of toothpicks?" Rodriguez

I love our vacations. They absolutely make me happier. I don't feel like vacation is the only time I'm happy: I love my job and my life. My wife and I are both SCUBA divers and since she doesn't jump our vacations are pretty much exclusively SCUBA trips. Every time we go, we talk about not coming back home. We talk about ditching it all, and trying to make a go of living in some place like the Caribbean. We have The Plan. We're trying to be smart about it, and it's not going to happen relatively soon (probably a 5-10 year time frame) but I'd just about bet my life that one of these days it WILL happen. Until then, we'll get our blue water in one week increments. Elvisio "Jimmy Buffet songs and suntan lotion" Rodriguez

Two observations: 1.) Given the picture with the story, I think I'd rather she beat me to death with said shoes rather than have to see her wearing them. and... 2.) Despite #1 above, for foot fetishists it would be the perfect way to die. Elvisio "leg man, but not THAT MUCH of a leg man" Rodriguez

I have fond memories of the "old, REAL" MTV as well. Although I'll admit I can't tell how much of it is actually how cool MTV used to be and how much of it is just the rose-coloring that suffuses all musings on my childhood. I wonder if I'd still like it as much if it magically appeared today as it did in the past. In all honesty, given my distaste for popular music nowadays, I probably wouldn't give a hoot for it. I wonder if they could make money airing the old recordings of MTV with the old music, old VJs, and old MTV spots (i.e. the astronaut with the psychedelic flag) with new commercial funding? Probably not, not enough of us old geezers left. It'd be cool to see though... I can't remember the last time I watched ANY MTV channel. FUNNY STORY TO INTERJECT: Picture it: Panama City Beach, Spring Break 1997 (IIRC). We were all out poolside, using a two story beer bong to get drunk while simultaneously risking perforating our esophagus from the high-pressure flow of beer. Because, you know, that's cool. Bill Bellamy and an MTV camera crew comes rolling through, at which time the beer bong crew (quickly followed by the entire hundred or so people poolside) try to convince Bill Bellamy to hit the beer bong. The whole hotel is cheering him on, and he must have gotten the subtle shake of the head from someone in the crew because while he was going to go for it, he quickly changed his mind. After he refuses, it takes all of about a minute for the entire hotel pool area to start chanting "Bill Bellamy sucks!" over and over. I have never seen three guys haul ass so fast while carrying about two hundred pounds of camera gear. Ah, misty, watercolor, drunken memories. Elvisio "What I learned in college" Rodriguez

Crap. I even remember the line, but didn't notice it was him... Thanks! Elvisio "something to watch for when it hits Redbox" Rodriguez

Did I miss the Stan Lee cameo? I didn't see him anywhere. Obviously, this isn't a spoiler, but I'm afraid if people start posting about certain parts of the film that spoilers could ensue. Thanks for participatin'! Elvisio "too much popcorn" Rodriguez

...is a pain, and that is the truth. Man, I haven't read any of the books since the day or two after the last book was published, and that still rolled right off my fingers. Nah, glad the idea got axed, for the same reasons listed above. And, unfortunately, Clint is way too old to pull it off now. I agree: stick to the books, especially the first couple. Elvisio "Zoltan et the eyes." Rodriguez

Right before I exit. Normally, I'm a freeflyer packed in the back, somewhere just before the tandems. Even then, I love the couple of seconds we have to allow for exit separation before beginning to set up in the door. But, just sometimes, I'll do a low pass just to enjoy the time before exit. The red light comes on, and I get to scoot up to the door, stick my face in the wind, look around, and really soak in the moment of what is about to come. I don't think the world can look any prettier than it does from the door of a jumpship. That is IT. That is THE moment: it may be a great skydive, it may be a crappy skydive, it may be your last skydive. But in that moment, it is perfect. Elvisio "funny how many times I've thought about it but not talked about it" Rodriguez

I have that book hiding in my stuff somewhere, unfortunately it's all packed up on a moving van and AS WE SPEAK is probably somewhere in Arkansas or Texas. Somebody else HAS to have the story, scan it in and post it! Elvisio "back when I HAD to have EVERYTHING in Paragear" Rodriguez

Starting back at the OP: What the joke doesn't tell you is that the guy pulled over was morbidly obese, driving without his seatbelt on, smoking his way through his third pack of the day, holding a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese in one hand, and had a fifth of Jack Daniels in a brown paper bag on the seat next to him. Elvisio "guns stop hearts, not heart disease " Rodriguez

Looks pretty damn cool. I LOVE Robin Williams when he plays parts that aren't his usual, manic comedic fare. For example, I thought 1 Hour Photo was awesome. And I agree, Heath absolutely stole that particular show. Elvisio "I'll have the 55 gallon tub of popcorn soaked with 26 pounds of 'cardiac death in a can' butter-flavored grease, please. Oh, and a small Diet Coke" Rodriguez EDIT TO ADD: SHAFTED! The trailer you posted is apparently fake. Neither the IMDB or Wikipedia pages for the movie list Williams or Dr. Strange. Also, most of the comments on the youtube page relate to it being a fake.

Before my last hair drug test I heard they can only test the most recent 90 days (the part closest to your head). I hadn't used in a long time but also had REALLY long hair, surely some of that length dated back to my college days (at the time). I came through clean. Elvisio "and now keeping it that way" Rodriguez

See if Summerfest is going on. I went one year in the late 90s. Dunno if it's still around, but if it is then + a wide variety of bands = awesomeness. Great town, during the summer. Avoid it during the 9 month-long winters. Elvisio "happy to be sweating in the south" Rodriguez

Minor issue: mismatched tires can hurt resale value if you're planning on selling the vehicle any time soon. If you're holding on to it for a while, don't worry about this point. My greatest concern would be keeping an eye on them to make sure they all wear at the same rate. Otherwise, as long as they're the same size, you should be OK. Also, obviously, make sure they're all a tread appropriate for the weather in your area. Elvisio "If they're 33x15 ATs send them to me" Rodriguez

I think the decrease in interest in bigway skydiving and the increased cost of travel are the two biggest causes for the demise of the WFFC. Used to be, everybody wanted bigways, and the convention was where to get them. Bigger and bigger planes, load after load. But, with the advent of freeflying and smaller, faster RW jumping, the need for CASAs decreased. People could jump the size of group they wanted right at their home DZ, no more need to travel to the big planes. To the second point: the golden age of commercial flight is over. Anymore it's just too much of a hassle to fly anywhere, ESPECIALLY with a rig, ESPECIALLY with a Cypres in said rig. Elvisio "miss the convention bad" Rodriguez

Find someone to set goals with and encourage each other. When my wife is around, I'm super fit. When her good influences are absent (as they have been for the past three months with us living in different cities) I'm a couch potato. Elvisio "good luck!" Rodriguez

That'd be awesome, if he has an MD who can act as his medical director, and the necessary certifications to administer IVs and narcotics. Those of you in the military have some very convenient loopholes around that particular civilian requirement, as I understand it. Bert: Good to see you sticking with it! I know you say the retail kits are shabby, but if you haven't gone there yet check out Galls.com. It's a pretty common, big mail order company that deals with Fire, Rescue, and Police with some military items as well. They have a HUGE selection of kits, ranging from tiny to big enough to stock an ambulance, and some (not all, but some) are actually very reasonably priced for what you get. I bought one of their middle-of-the-road kits when I first started EMS and have used the HELL out of it in the seven years since. My experience, after all those years hauling around that bag: less is actually more. I used to pack every possible thing I could into that kit, thinking I'd be a one-man-life-saving-machine. Fact of the matter is, I never used (and never WOULD have used) the vast majority of that stuff. Hypothetically, I may have, in the past... not admitting to anything online or anythiing... but I MIGHT have hauled around IVs and fluids for example; but stopped when I decided the risk of carrying "perscription only" equipment without said perscription outweighed the frequency with which I used it (never). The single most important thing to have in your kit: training. You mentioned the wilderness EMT course, cool idea. No matter what your planned "theater of operations" is make sure you have the right training. It'll teach you how to do best for your patient, how to PROTECT YOURSELF (physically and legally), and help you understand your scope of practice. In turn, this will go a long ways to help you understand what needs to be in your kit. Otherwise: gloves, a good CPR mask, a reflective vest if you think you'll ever come across issues on the roadway, a variety of bandages and tape, some saline bottles for washing out wounds and eyes, trauma shears, a roll of SAM splint (worth its weight in gold), simple little things like stiptic pencils and "sting swabs" to manage the annoying little things, and a generously sized bottle of hand cleanser. Such a kit has helped me help others (including more than a few DZ-related injuries) many, many times. A good jump bag (or tick bag, or squirrel kit, whatever you want to call it) is like a good rigger's kit: it's made, not bought. Get yourself something that comes with the basics and has a little room to grow, and as you go along you'll decide for yourself what is worth carrying. Elvisio "be safe!" Rodriguez