Tinkerbelle

Hi Again, You really seem to know what you are doing. I tried yoga for a while, and like the breathing parts since neck injuries also affect your breathing, causing difficulties since the forenic nerve is affected, or at least mine was during my horrific surgery. Could you give me some more good stretches for the vertebrae in the neck? You seem to have some really good ideas! Maybe you could PM me, if you'd like! Tinkerbelle

Thanks for your support, it's not often that jumpers offer that or care much about jumpers who get hurt and can't jump like they used to. I used to still go out to the DZ for the cameraderie, but it's weird to go from being the Queen who everyone looks up to to being the injured person on the ground who everyone just walks by and ignores, even the low timers, since you can't go play with them. It hurts psychologically almost more than physically to suddenly lose the social life and cameraderie you conted on for almost 20 years! I know exactly what I did wrong that got me hurt, so I do have lots to share, as well as all the things I did right that got me far. Once at the Nationals in Chicago I was talking while packing Carl's parachute, just for fun. Some girl walked by me and told me to shut up and pack, that I had no right to be talking about skydiving 'cause I obviously wasn't a jumper and abviously had no idea what I was talking about since she hadn't seem me jump since I got there. That hurt my feelings enormously! I said I was a skydiver. She responded, if I was any kind of a skydiver someone would be packing my parachute instead of the other way around. That was just mean! I hate the fair weather friend thing that has over taken skydiving. If anyone gets hurt, knowing how it feels, I am always the first one there with flowers, balloons, and a card. I wish more would do that. We are all skydivers, once you have tasted flight with your body! We should all recognize each other as such, even if someone gets hurt, which could happen to anyone at any time. That suddenly doesn't void all the time and energy and cameraderie we have put into the sport for so many years! Thanks for your support! Tink

Say, all you people with one eye and pilot's lisences, how on Earth did you pass the flight physical? I don't remember if it was just my no sight in one eye or the limited, uncorrectable sight in the other that prevented me from passing my flight physical, and I went to the most liberal of all medics who passed all the Alaskan pilots, no matter what, but he said I was just too blind to allow to slide by. Can you really get a flight physical with one eye? Do you have to have full sight in the other to compensate? Tink (that's the one eye face... I can make that kind of joke without being un PC 'cause that is me too) Rehab is for quitters.

Let's see the one of Ottley stripped neeked and put in a cage! That one ought to be worth some money to someone! My dear departed fiancee Shawn Gloyer, the pilot, had a picture somewhere of Little Billy Gates, who was in his Boy Scout troupe hung up in a tree by his tighty whities. They also used to gang up on him and put him in the trash can. Apparently no one wanted to be his partner 'cause he never washed his dishes or kept his stuff clean. So when Little ily Gates appealed to Shawn's Daddy, his old Scout Master, for a loan to help get his little project, Microsoft started, they all just laughed at him 'cause Little Billy Gates was always such a mess, so how could anything he ever did work out? It was not a good investment gamble. Boy, did they get that one wrong! Wish I knew where that picture was! I could probably sell it to Larry Flint for a million dollars! Tink Rehab is for quitters.

I agree with you 100% on that one. Some of the DZs are good enough to let Bob Sinclaire jump for free. I mean, Hell, what's a couple jumps here and there for the character and history and information the old timers bring to the DZ and the younguns, especially sitting around the fire in the evening telling stories, which is a large part of the skydiving experience and cameraderie. Mike Mullens knows the deal! I applaud him for his efforts. I have often thought they should have an adjunct to the SOS called the SSS (Sexy Senior Skydivers). To me there is no hard, chiseled physique that is sexier than a man/or woman full of a lifetime full of experiences to share. I would much rather spend time listening to and chatting with an older person whose head if full of a wealth of knowlege and experience than looking for hours at a young physique accompanying a mind and experience yet in it's infancy. As Rush Limbaugh would call them, "minds full of mush". Now no one get on my case about that, that was a direct quote from someone else! I guess I am just selfish that way, in that I am more turned on by the mind than the physique. The mind is the sexiest organ of the body. I suppose that is why I have always gone out with guys 20 years older than I. There should be some incentive to get the older people from our skydiving past to come out to the DZ and events more. Perhaps at events they could have some incentive like a slide show and story telling session, or some way to bring the past into our present. I always feel badly that Bill Ottley and his contemporaries might just feel bored, unnoticed, and under appreciated showing up at events with nothing to do but watch all the young whipper snappers buzzing about in such a big hurry. These days though skydiving seems so individual. Sure people jump in groups, but there are more bigger egos and fanfare promoting each person individually. Skydiving seems to have been over taken by ego-centics, and those undermining each other instead of supporting one another. We all must remember, we stand on the shoulders of giants who came before us. Here's to the old farts, may they live long and prosper! Tinkerbelle Rehab is for quitters.

Bob Sinclaire gave it to me the first day I showed up in Coolege. To make a long story a bit shorter... What happened was that Al Gramando, the manager of Eloy at the time, figuring I could be persuasive enough to pull off the job, gave me 10 jump tickets to drive over to Coolege and rope up a bunch of people and bring them back to Eloy, or at least tell them about 10$ jumps out of the SkyVan, 'cause we didn't have enough people to get it flying for the weekend. Well, I took the 10 jump tickets and went to Coolege. I tried to be discrete telling people here and there about the deal. Of course, always having trouble hiding in a crowd, eventually I got noticed, surprize, surprize! Scotty Carbone caught wind of my clandestine mission, and got on the microphone announcing that there were 10$ jumps out of the SkyVan at Eloy. Then he asked the crowd, "Who Cares?" Everyone said in unison, "We don't!" Scotty asked, "Who's going to Eloy for 10$ jumps out of the SkyVan?" Everyone said again in unison, "No one, we all want to stay here!" "Why do you all want to stay here?" he asked. Everyone replied, "Cause it's way more fun!" About that time Mike Mullins approached me and asked me if I was just doing that on my own, or if I had been sent by the enemy? I told him about the 10 jump tickets, not wanting to take the fall all by myself. So Mike offered me 10 more of his jump tickets to stay there and not go back for a day or two. Steve Kelley offered up his trailer for me to stay in. Mullins called over to Eloy and told them they had captured the cute little spy and were keeping her! Of course Al Gramando and Larry Hill disavowed any knowlege of the scam, leaving me to take the fall, so I didn't feel so bad about taking the 10 jump tickets from Eloy for a job fait incomplete. I stayed in Coolege and used up my 10 jumps Mullins gave me to stay, and had a far better time there than I had at Eloy in a long time! Coolege has a much more collective, supportive, family atmosphere, all eating and drinking together when Scotty rang the breakfast, lunch, and dinner bell. Then after wards, he would jump with everyone. We all had a blast. In the evenings we all gathered together dancing around the fire. Scotty dressed up in his Devil outfit, and I had on a long black velvet dress. We danced for hours about the fire, occasionally knocking stuff over including Scotty and several onlookers and a bunch of furniture and other stuff. At one point someone asked me if that was what being on X was like. I just laughed 'cause I wasn't on anything, just my own native juices, which I suspect may be a bit different from most. I was rather afraid to go back to Eloy in fact, unaware of how I might be received by the management. Mikey McGowan, who I was staying with at the time, didn't help matters telling me I should be afraid. I did eventually return to Eloy many days later, and just tried to keep a low profile. Al didn't say anything about it, but has since always looked out the corner of his eye at me. I got 20 jump tickets out of the deal, had a blast, met lots of new friends, and found yet another really cool place to jump! And hence Bob Sinclaire, a resident Coolege person for the most part during the "on" season, coined the nick name for me as "Eloy Annie"! Ta da! Bon, Voila, l' histoire! Eloy Annie, AKA Tinkerbelle Rehab is for quitters.

You know, maybe my only having one eye and limited vision in that one is why I think Carl Daugherty is so stunningly gorgeous, while others of you have disagreed. If you squint a little and blurr your vision, I guess he doesn't look quite so scary. I just go by feel like I do in the sky, and he has that OPS (Old People Skin) that is so soft, compared to the tight hard stuff of youth, that isn't the least bit velvety. I guess the skin gets sort of like a cat's where it is only attached at a few places, so it slides under you fingers better. Yeah, I know, take it to Talk Back, but I can't! I am not allowed there any more. But in fact it is on topic 'cause it is the result of my experience one eye skydivering. Tink (that's the one eye emoticon) Rehab is for quitters.

Speaking of our skydiving elders... The last couple times I saw Bill Ottley he was having some trouble getting around, and didn't seem very happy. I am worried about him. Does anyone know where he is, what he's up to, or how he's doing? We jumpers really oughtly to be more respectful of our skydiving elders. It seem that once you have passed your prime or get injured and can't jump any more, even if you were awesome and a hero in your time, and a skydiving pioneer and responsible for progressing our sport to what it is today, so that all the yougens can enjoy all the fruits of the labor the older ones lived through in the old days in order to advance our sport, they are all but forgotten and shoved aside and ignored. We really oughtly to revere, respect, and admire our skydiving elders a lot more, and hold them in the highest of esteme. The USPA oughtly to have a sort of Smithsonian Museam online where people can go and look at pictures and read stories of the people, places, events, and gear that was our sport's foundation. Skydiving elders could add pictures and stories and other info to the site including names, places, events, and their gear. It could be a dynamic site, ever growing as a sort of well recorded time line. And when the old timers show up at events like The World Cups, or The Nationals, or World Record attempts, or The Fantasy of Flight, or other such large gatherings, the younguns ought to take a moment out of their fun to go pay their respects to our elders who often mosy around forgotten by most and often even unrecognized. It was funny when I flew around CA with Bill Booth presenting his new Sigma Tandem system to DZs all over the place, at several of our stops, when Bill Booth mentioned that he wanted to talk to them about their tandem systems, a number of people asked him if he was there to do a tandem, and that he would have to sign a waiver and step aside, that they were busy. He seemed quite shocked that they did not even recognize his name or his famous long beard, and that he was in fact the innovator of the modern tamdem system. I was appauled at the ignorance and irreverence of the DZ people. Although the DZs made lots of money doing tandems, so many of them had no idea who it was they were talking to, and just pushed us aside to wait for someone to talk to while they got ready for the next load of tandems, which ironically, had it not been for that man Bill Booth, himself, they would not be doing at all! Bill should have gotten the red carpet treatment at all the DZs or at least a more appreciative welcome, by all those profiting from Bill's immaginitive innovation! While riding around in the golf cart with Bill Ottley at every event I have seen him at, it was amazing how many people just ignored him and did not even recognize him, or know who he is, and what and how much he has done for our sport. After hours, the jumpers just went their own way, having their own fun, leaving Bill Ottley in the corner of the bar, not even willing to help him down the stairs. Roger Nelson was good enough to lend Bill a hand, but quite honestly I would have expected more people willing to help out one of our living legends. Imagine how you'd feel if you were a pioneer and innovator of an extreme sport, and years later, after you were old and worn out, young ones who now profit from all your effort and expertise over the years just blew past you like you weren't even there, or at best felt sorry for you that you were old and/or broken and unable to participate in the activity you loved and brought into the modern age for the younguns to enjoy. You would feel unappreciated and neglected. It was sad to see, while instead he should have been honored and approached with reverence and respect, and made to feel really good by all the younguns paying their respects. A little recognition would go a long way to brighten his spirits and those like him, our skydiving elders and pioneers. I was thrilled that at the PIA (Parachute Industry Association) meeting in San Diego, the event organizer phoned Bob Sinclaire during the banquet speach to give him a life time achievement award. We need to do this more often for folks like Bob Sinclaire and Bill Ottley and others like them who are still around and love to remain associated with the sport, even if some can not jump any more. Bob Sinclaire sends out a newsletter keeping up with all the old timers, which is nice, but there needs to be more recognition and appreciation for them. After all when they started skydiving it was a lot more dangerous, risky, cumbersome, and uncertain. They didn't have all the nifty high speed training, and safety and back up stuff we all take for granted hese days, like a good AAD, or ditters, or reliable, square reserves that land as nicely, safely, and reliably as our maines. If there are any USPA officers reading this how about setting up such a website to honor our elders and allow the younguns to see the progression of our sport's history, both gearwise and the people who pioneered so much and were essentially test dummies trying out new and innovative stuff, and developing the modern techniques of flying and formation building, enabling us to have such a modern, high speed, awesome sport! And for all you younguns, when you see an old guy wandering around an event, be sure to stop and talk to him or her. They just may have a lot of skydiving history in their heads that you would do well to listen to and appreciate. And I know the elders would love to get some attention and recognition and appreciation from all the modern jumpers who are only there enjoying themselves because of the efforts and time and energy put into advancing our sport by none other than our skydiving elders! So respect and acknowlege your skydiving elders all you young whipper snappers! Tootles Tink D# 272 Rehab is for quitters.

Bob Sinclaire is in Florida at DeLand! For all you skydiving history buffs or interested people, our most valuable resource in that regard, Bob Sinclaire, is currently at DeLand for perhaps a month or two. If you are in the area be sure to go to the DZ at DeLand and look for him in his green van or humungous tent. If you have an hour or two, ask to see his photo albums and have him tell you his personal experiences and history to accompany those photo albums. You might want to take a tape recorder, or video recorder or a notepad to keep up with all the names, dates, places, and events he describes in mind blowing detail. He is a walking, talking encyclopedia of jumping history from the early days. He has been jumping continuously for over 50 years, and remembers every bit of it, and hundreds of names to go along with it! Bob is simply amazing! He is no spring chicken either, almost 80, and still jumping at least a couple times/week. His accuracy is pinpoint! If you get to jump with him it will be truly memorable, something for your archives, something to tell your grand-children about. He is by far the most noteworthy jumper out there still jumping! He is a living superhero, a living dinasour. And his sense of humor and quick wit will blow your sox off. He is quite humble though, so he takes some prodding to get him going. Ask for a copy of the 2 pages of movie and hollywood credits he has to his name, jumping. He did all the stunt work and video for the old seried "Ripcord", etc... and even taught Johnny Carson to skydive! If you get on Bob's mailing list, he sends out detailed newsletters keeping up with all the happeneings and activities of all the old timers and young ones too. Bob keeps meticulous records. Also ask him to show you all of his gear modifications too. Bob is never satisfied with conventional gear, or conventional anything for that matter! He always has to take it apart and reengineer it! You can't miss his "House of Frankerstain" canopy! It is worth a trip out to DeLand, just to talk to a living skydiving icon, one of the true pioneers of our sport and especially of vidoe in the sky. I think he was the first to experiment with that! He has more skydiving wisdom than most anyone, having lived through and seen it all since the early 50s! And be sure to give Bob a big hug and a kiss from yourself and from Eloy Annie, his soul mate! Take your picture with Bob, and be sure to give him one. He especially treasures photos of girls sitting on his lap and giving him a kiss. Yes, he is proud to be a dirty old man, and lovin' it! It's a really great thing to be a FOB (Friend of Bob's) Tootles Tink! D#272 Rehab is for quitters.

Also, Wear Freddys or Froggies, or whatever goggles with the holes taped up, being sure to cut the tape so it just covers the holes and not anything else to get in the way of every last precious available window space. Even though I have a small face, I get the larger ones, as compared to the smaller ones, there are 2 sizes, to give me more periferal windshield to look through. Do not wear the big brown ones with brown rims for glasses, but the smaller ones, the clear, soft, pliable plastic ones with rolled plastic rims, because they fit more snugly to the contour of your face. Often before long you have to superglue the rims on, since the sun causes them to shrimk and separate from the shield part. Also, you need to superglue and tape the corner where the rims separate and shrink. After that, they work great and last longer. There is some debate about whether clear rims are better or black ones. Apparently as with SCUBA masks, the black rims are said to cut down on some of the glare coming in and being distorted by the clear rims. Personally I prefer the clear rims since they at least give me a sense of better periferal awareness, and do not distract my eye by something colored at the perifery that is not another jumper flying by. With those goggles, if you do happen to lose a contact, as compared to a full face helmet where the contact could go anywhere, if a contact does come out it will always be stuck within the form fitting plastic goggle and can easily be retrieved after landing, being careful to take them off over a table and maybe have a friend help you look. They are usually stuck to the plastic lens at the bottom of the goggle, or maybe even your eye lid. It is always a great idea to take a spare pair of contact with you on skydiving trips or any vacation for that matter, but that way, if you do lose one, your skydiving trip is not ruined. Sometimes I tell the organizer about my only having one eye, but usually only if they ask why I insist on positioning myself on the right side of the line up with the people on my left, good side, so that I have a clear side on my bad side on exit, and being on the right side of the formation, or if I want to switch slots with someone, to keep the action and grips more on my left, good side. Otherwise I just keep quiet about it. Skydivers don't like to be made aware that someone on the load has a limitation. It just makes you stand out as having special needs, which you don't want to do. If I can not have the slot I want, I just deal with it. Organizers don't like to have to make accomodations for one person. It's like pointing out to a shark that you have a cut or an open wound. It just makes you apprear more vulnerable, and less capable than the other jumpers, and gives yourself a red flag right off the bat, which makes you automatically more highly scrutinized than the rest. If you point out a limitation, the organizer is more likely to watch you closely and expect you to screw up in trying to compensate. As you all know, it is great to stand out on the ground and be noticed, but when it comes to larger ways or skydives, you never want to stand out or be noticed, unless it's in a good way. If you have a limitation, that automatically makes you seem less desirable and less capable than the rest, even if you are not. Organizers want to have all the best jumpers, working at tip top performance, not limited or crippled in any way, which you would be pointing out you are ahead of time, even if you are awesome. If you do mention it to the organizer, better to do so after a couple of jumps to first prove yourself before you point out any shortcomings. Then you will get extra credit after the fact for performing so well, in spite of limited vision. Good Luck, and stay with a larger canopy! Why risk injuring yourself on the ground, just to have a smaller pack, go faster, or look cooler. There is plenty of fun to be had in the air, and if you screw up a landing, which you are more likely to do with limited vision and no or less debth perception, even if you have just less vision in one eye, then you don't even get to do the fun stuff in the air! I routinely flare too high, since as ITDIVER pointed out, things always look closer than they are, and as a result, my knees are messed up too. It's just too scary to have the ground going by so fast when you have no idea if you're 8 feet off the ground or 2. I admire those swoopers. They are trusting their lives to their debth perception within a couple inches. That is something we limited sighted, one eyed people can admire and oogle at from a far, but not something we ever want to try. The demands are more than we can handle physiologically, and the risks are just too great! Good Luck to you one eyes or 4 eyes as I was always called, to which I would reply, "4 eyes are better than 2"! I also grew up with horn rimmed glasses wearing a big ugly white gause patch over my good eye as a kid trying to strengthen my bad eye. It didn't work, but sure gave me a complex! I was teased mercilessly! Mother would always get the tape too long and it would go all the way up into my hair and down my cheeks and nose. It sucked growing up that way always teased. I tried that "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me" thing, but that just inspired the kids to throw sticks and stones and lemons at me! I got them back though when we got a dog, and it was my job to clean up the dog messes. I always had a bucket of dog poop and a shovel which worked great for slinging poop. That quieted the neighbor hood kids quite a bit, and they all wanted me on their team, hated to be the opponent on the receiving end of my dog poop bombs! Tootles Tink! Rehab is for quitters.

Hi there, I just watched a cool lecture on artificial discs, the "Pro Disc" specifically. They say with the advent of this, fusions will be a thing of the past. Their mantra was "Refuse to Fuse"! They said, it is a 10 minute, 8 step procedure, and they already have 10 year studies to prove it's sustainability. There is no wear, slippage, or disintegration or degredation of the polyethylene disc. In fact they even say it is so easy and quick it may even be an outpatient procedure. People can return to work and full activity within a week. There is no stiffness or loss of mobility like with a fusion. And in fact they report a 100% reduction in pain immediately compared to most likely an increase in pain post fusion. Also, with a fusion there is 100% probablilty of degredation of the above and below adjacent discs with in 3-4 years, which you don't get with this artificial "Pro Disc". In fact most often they say they replace > 1 disc at once, often with one in the middle untouched. This could not be done with a fusion, as the middle disc would be toast before too long. It sounds great, so for anyone looking at the possiblilty of fusion, don't! They say the only problem with this new disc is that it will put a lot of medics out of business, and those who do fusions are trying to keep it a secret! So for those with disc problems, "REFUSE TO FUSE!" contacts are: Rick DeLamarter, MD., UCLA, Associate Clinical Professor, Orthopedic Surgery David W. Newell, MD., University of Washington, Professor of Neurosurgery Good Luck to all! Luv-n-stuff Tinkerbelle Rehab is for quitters.

Also, Because of the issue of air drying out contacts, and the fact that if I lose the one in my good eye I am lost up there with no idea of anything below expect brown, green, and blue, I always carry a small bottle of saline in my jump suit and douce my eyes about 9,000 feet, then let them dry a bit, then put on my goggles and helmet. Freddies with clear rims and the holes taped up are the best way to go. Then I blow up in them until exit to prevent fogging. Sometimes I do a mad dash wipe at the last minute on exit to clear away any fog. I also spend from about 4,000-6,000ft. cleaning my goggles with moist heat from my breath and a fresh paper towel or hankerchief stuffed in my pocket. With limited sight every little bit of vision is that much more critical. I always make sure to buy a new pair of goggles when they get slightly old or if they get a scratch or blotch on them. I see those people with scratched up visors, and don't know how they do it. It is better for limited sight people to jump with a helmet and goggles, 'cause that way you can always buy a new pair of goggles frequently, where as a new visor is more difficult to come by in a pinch. Also, I have often heard of visors coming open or air getting in, or if not, for sure fogging up. Goggles are much easier to deal with in all those respects. I have only on rare occasions had my goggles kicked off or out of place, but can put them back on easily in the sky. I am sure to fit my goggles tightly. If you have any questions for a very limited sighted very experienced jumper, please contact me at: annbrolly@earthlink.net Luv-n-stuff Tinkerbelle Rehab is for quitters.

Hi There, I have no vision in one eye and only limited vision in the other, corrected to 20/200. I can not pass a flight physical to get my pilot's lisence, although having been engaged to a pilot I got to fly a lot around Washington and Alaska mostly. I took my ground school and soloed, but could not get the piece of paper. I also can not pass a diver's test, but do get a note from the doctor allowing me to drive. Skydiving wise, I don't have any trouble, but like to position myself on formations so that the most important grip is not on my blind side, and the approach is with my the important stuff on my good side. For instance, if I have the option, I like to be on the right side of a diamond since my left eye is my better eye, etc... Landing is more difficult. I am 100 lbs without gear, and jump a Sabre 135. Even that is scary sometimes in light to no winds, and higher altitude. I like to set up near tall stuff to establish some reference for where I am above the ground at landing time. Landing in an open field is tricky. I think the limited sight people would do better with a larger canopy that is more foregiving. For those full sightes people, I suppose landing with one eye is like a night landing. Good to know that if you flare too high, not to let up fully on the toggles, but to just go half way, then flare again fully! Also, contants are better for skydiving than glasses. Even though they tend not to correct as well as glasses, you need more of the distance correction than the close up, that goes for bifocal wearers as well. I have such a radical difference in reading and distance corrections in my good eye, that I choose the distance correction for skydiving. I could not read a book as well with contacts, but they give you a wider field of view and better periferal vision than glasses, which is important for skydiving. Other than that, you just learn to compensate as you do driving a car or doing anything else. Good Luck Luv-n-stuff Tinkerbelle Rehab is for quitters.

Wow, Redmond, WA. ... That's where Dav3e had his house. Apparently he just sold it though since he is living in Austraillia with his new wife, Hellinahandbasket & their new little girl. His house in Redmond was so cute though since it was all paneled in Cedar. It smelled like my mouse cages, in which I always used cedar chips. It somehow seemed so appropriate seeing as Dav3e is such a little mouse! He was recently in DeLand for some length of time, trying to beat his record of 15 Cessna formation. Haven't heard the latest, but I am going out to DeLand on the 6th for my B-day and that of my SO's Carl Daugherty, whose B-day is on the 15th of April. So everyone send him an email. His address in cdaugherty2@cfl.rr.com. Unfortunately since Joe Morgan just lost his life on March 16th, it will be more of a memorial event rather than a B-day celebration. Apparently the Joe Morgan memorial stuff will be on the 10th of April. There is a memorial website for Joe Morgan at: http://www.bingen.org/Joe/ There will be a symultaneous ceremony at Perris Valley since apparently Joe Morgan was also a Perris getto guy for a while. The contact person there is Al Frisby. Everyone say a prayer for Joe! Tinkerbelle Rehab is for quitters.

As far as the tredmill goes... I have been at lots of skydiver parties where there was a treadmill in the house. From my experience tredmills and skydivers don't mix. If there is a tred mill in the house, someone is gonna get hurt! After a while, inevitably the damed thing gets turned off by the most adult supervisors! The last incident I recall was playing around with the volume button, trying to make people fall, or rather trying to stay upright. Then when one chick was sitting on the thing sideways eating a snack on a plate, someone snuck up and turned it on full speed! She went flying off the end and got stuck with the thing spinning under her spine. She got a big bruise and a tremendous surface burn. I'm sure it wasn't funnt to her later after the pot and booze wore off, but it was pretty funy at the time to her and everyone else in the room. The whole place erupted! Guess you had to be there! Again, after that, the tred mill got unplugged! Aren't skydivers a hoot! Tink! Rehab is for quitters.

Before anyone gets upset with that last comment, allow me to elaborate... since I can not eliminate. I do not blame anyone for anyone else's problems. All I was trying to say there, is that we all need to be more open to one another and supportive of our fellow jumper's personal problems and needs. It is our collective responsibility not to just revel in the ebullience and levity of the laughter and good times, but also be there for one another through the hard times trouble, and personal turmoil. We should not jump on and attack people when they reveal some vulnerability, but rather embrace them, for often that kind of love and emotional support is all one needs to help them deal with their own problems. Just knowing people care can really lift one's spirits, just as being berated can tear at one's heart! I will pray for all my fellow brother and sister flyers, that they may be happy and healthy, and when in need, pray that they can find the support and encouragement they need to lift them up out of their duldrums to once again see the light of the clear blue sky, our passage to Heaven! God's speed, Joe, may you find peace among the angels. You are in great company up there in Heaven with my true love, Shawn, and most recently my beloved Daddy! We love you all, and pray for your serenity every day! Tink Rehab is for quitters.

You're absolutely correct! I have a very big, discouraging problem! I have herneated discs in my neck at C 4-5, 5-6, which I have had since before '92 (I suspect from when I first got my Sabre)and bone spurs and arthritis of the fascet joints right there as well, all from hard openings of my parachute and wearing too much lead under my backpad for too long. My little 5'3" 100 pound frame just couldn't take the impact of opening shock with the setup I had, or any for that matter, but it sure worked well for a long time, despite it's not being very comfortable! I just have a very delicate frame. But I love to skydive, it's my love, my life, my inspiration, my passion, my socail life,,... and it sucks to have had it hurt me to the extent my pain is now interfering with my ability to enjoy my skydiving & my zest and zeal for life! It's a bummer! I think this is a very appropriate thing to discuss, and the proper place to do it. For there are other tiny jumpers out there, not many, but some, who need to learn from what I did wrong, and how it hurt me, so that they can skydive as long as they want, rather than as long as their little bodies can tolerate the sometimes tremendous forces on the body, especially during opening shock! Large males can not really understand or appreciate what we little people go through and tolerate to keep up/down with you guys! It puts an extra stress on our bodies that you big boys don't have to endure, though ironically you big boys with big bones and muscles are better equipt & suited to carry an extra load, rather than us tiny people! Luv ya too! I will include you in my prayers! Tink Rehab is for quitters.

I R A Biochemist, neuroscientist, know lots about that stuff, but let's not go there, this is getting personal, no need! Just food for thought! I think it's best if I just go away and not rattle your cages! Tink

What about going through the regime of pegelated something or other... I know a jumper who had hep C and bad liver too from years of lots of drinking and other drug abuse. He has been clean and sober for a long time, what a hero, but was left with that problem. He did the regime, and is now disease free! He has more energy and feels like a new man! He has a new lease on life! There is a cure out there! Go for it! Good luck! Just don't tell anyone at the DZ or this forum 'cause they'll slaughter your character. Very few sensitive, kind, caring, helpful, accepting folks around the DZ or this forum. Seems like if you present some vulnerability, they will all jump on you and attack, like a bunch of pirahna or fire ants! There seem to be so many self-righteous folks just itching to hurl stones at anyone revealing their soft, pink underbellies. Of course this non-support of others is why even though my friend was surrounded by hundreds of "close jumping buddies" at the DZ with whom he shared almost 5 days a week, or at least 3, he still felt as if he couldn't share his overwhelming problem with anyone and instead just killed himself. I do so wish all of his DZ friends had been more available to him, personally, I fault the crowd at the DZ as much as I do him, that they weren't more open and caring and sensitive to each others' problems, that he felt he had to get to that extreme, without anyone even realizing something was seriously wrong. Our brother was in trouble, and needed our help, support, and understanding, and we all, and I mean everyone at the DZ, with whom he socialized and played so often, weren't there for him in his time of need. We are supposed to be a collective family with our unique, mutual passion to fly in the sky! We all need to take more time to be interested in and care for the lives and wellfare of our fellow jumpers, for they are our extended family, our brothers and sisters! And when one of them feels so alone and desperate as he obviously felt, we, his family of fellow jumpers, especially those who spent so much time with him, should have been there for him! We need to stop being such fair weather friends and such self-righteous critics, and start being more supportive of one another, not just looking for a means or a reason to attack and defame one another, as I've observed is an alarming trend of late! Tink

What about the one played among jumpers in the bar in which everyone stands in a circle holding hands, at either ends the persons put a folk in an electrical socket, giving the whole circle a circuit jolt! Then one by one people get out 'till there are just 2 brave souls left getting shocked, along with all the shocked onlookers! They play that one at Skydive Dallas! Fun with beer, friends, and electricity! Aren't jumpers fun after hours, just can't sit still like normal folks! Tink Rehab is for quitters.

Well, that's all good and well, but I just happen to know that lots of people jump under the influence.... ever heard the expression 4:20? And lots do stronger stuff too! Now that is wrong, bad, and crazy! Maybe they ought to do random drug testing at the DZ! What about all the gazillions on anti-depressants? I know lots of jumpers on those too! Also know quads take valium to quiet the tremmors in their limp limbs, yet they still drive cars! Now that is scary, walking in front of a car operated by a quadraplygic on valium, and pot, most who I know smoke lots of pot to deal with pain and as a mental escape from their situation, and I know lots having taught SCUBA through NAUI's HSA (Handicapt SCUBA Association) I have tried those anti-depressants in an effort to control my pain, almost all of them for a week or some, some less than that, and would refuse to take any of them ever, even in my normal life, 'cause they all make you sleepy, off-balanced, and confused! Many are prescribed for pain since they all in essence tune down the Sympathetic nervous system, and in doing so are intended to remove the loud negative thoughts from people's heads by removing all thoughts from the head. That tuning down of the volume of the nervous system is also exploited for pain management, to tune down the pain. But they just leave walking zombies in place of depressed or painful people. Would you say that no one on anti-depressants should jump either? They do more to supress the cognitive and reflexive systems than any pain pill! Tink Rehab is for quitters.

Actually they like to switch from percoset to methadone, not to get the person off of percoset, but rather for longer term pain management. It bulids up in your system thus being able to better manage pain longer term, without going up and down and sideways all day from short acting percoset. Therefore methadone is a much more effective pain management tool. The problem of switching to methadone for pain management from more short acting compunds, is that since it does build up in your system, while it may take a week to get off of the percoset, it takes months, even 6 months and longer to get off of methadone! It also makes you much sleepier. Pain sucks let me tell you what! I have been to every pain managemet clinic there is, and the best they can do is throw oxycontin or methadone at you. Also, methadone is comparatively much cheaper than oxycontin, and even though it makes you sleepy, not as much as oxycontin! Percoset is the best for not making you sleepy, in fact it rather perks you up! Methadone is not a way to get off of percoset though, since it is much stronger, and creates more dependence, and is much harder to get off of. Best idea is not to get in pain in the first place, but if I had not tolerated so much during my younger years of jumping, hard sabre openings wearing 12 lbs of lead, in a bad place, I wouldn't have gotten into this pain of herneated discs, bone spurs, and fascet arthritis at C 5-6, 6-7 trouble in the first place. Let this be a lesson to all newer jumpers, especially young jumpers, if it hurts, don't be a hero and just quietly deal with it, accepting that you will just have to hurt to do your sport of choice, stop and fix the problem. Or if the extra weight bothers you, then just don't jump with the big guys! It may limit your jumping, which I never wanted to do, but in retrospect, missing some jumps would be far preferable to then having to live with the physiological consequences of putting too much of a burden on my 5'3", 100 pound frame! Pain is the body telling you something is wrong! And once the damage is done, in some instances, like mine, it can't be undone. I started jumping at 18. I am now 36. While jumping during my 20s, I didn't recognize or think that I was mortal, and vulnerable, just doesn't dawn on you in your 20s. Also you don't accept the notion that what you may be enduring that hurts just may become permanent! In my next life, I am going to come back as a big guy, say 6 foot, 180 lbs. I would much rather have problems staying up, than having to pack on so much lead to stay down with all of them big boys! Also I am going to get one of those tiny rigs and just skip along side all the little girls all weighted down with lead, dsying, come on,... run! As I've heard do many times. And never wanting to appear weak or vulnerable, I did run, me and half my bosy weight in gear! Tink

I do still jump, just not as much! Jumping on pain pills is not so bad, as long as you pay attention and have been on them long enogh to know how your body reacts to them. I know lots of jumpers who jump on lots stronger stuff! I would never do that, and would strongly advise against it! Just like with SCUBA, as they say, it's not good to mix your trips! I do not promote of advise jumping on anything, besides air, water, & food, & maybe that purple gatorade, if they have it at the store! Sorry if you don't like me brand of humor! I get a kick out of myself! I am very careful to not confuse or ill-advise the younguns! In fact, I am extremely safety conscious, more so than most everyone I've ever met! Even jump a 135 at 100 lbs, without gear, and still wear my original protec, although for years I got shit for it! For a while when helmets were not cool, I had people say they wouldn't jump with anyone who thought they needed a helmet. etc..., but I just ignored them and continued to wear it! I laugh now at all the same people who poo pood my protec, now they are all wearing motor cycle type over-kill helmets that block that wonderful breeze and make you feel like you're jumping with a fish bowl on your head! I think those diminish sensory awareness! Luv-n-stuff Tink Rehab is for quitters.

That's why God invented AADz! Irreverance can be humerous if you have a sense of humor! Rehab is for quitters.

Some evil guy in Reno sold some naked pictures of me with rich guys' airplanes for 1000$/each. I didn't get a single penny, nor did I sign the release form he sent me! Wish I'd had the money to sue him! I wish I could hire someone to break into his place and get the negatives, but his place is boobie trapped, and it would be life threatening! Just goes to show you, you can sell anything for anything to anyone, just depends on how dishonest and greedy you are! Tink Rehab is for quitters.