Scoby

C'mon, a cruiser pretty much says "over the hill." Why not a nice sporty tourer, like a VFR? Or a standard, like a Monster or a FZ-1? Or maybe something funky, like a Guzzi? Friends don't let friends ride cruisers!

Now if only Peugeot or Citroen would actually market WRC reps like Subaru and Mitsubishi, we'd be talking. I would love to have an Alfa 147 GTA... Why must we get such a sad selection of cars here in the states? Is American automotive taste really so vulgar?

Now if only Renault would see fit to let us drive some of their more extreme examples of Gallic automotive wackiness... The Avantime, perhaps? I would love to have the new Espace.

I'd be bummed, but I already got my Hornet. Still, it is pretty weak. I wish Aerodyne had decided to take advantage of exchange rates and undercut the competition a bit. However, if their reserve turns out to be well-liked, I might switch to one from my Tempo when I get a new container.

Have you pondered using a service like Ofoto or Shutterfly instead of getting a photo printer? It actually works out a lot cheaper per print, and the prints are on photo paper. I actually get them printed at my local photo store, which is a tad more expensive, but I like the immediacy. I've been largely underwhelmed by most inexpensive photo printers and the paper/ink costs are staggering. Oh yeah, and have you looked at the Nikon 5700 or Minolta Dimage 7i? Those Sony Memory stick thingies are expensive!

Man, I got a suite at the W, dinner at a fancy restaurant, massages, champagne... Still have to work out the flowers and the card, but I'm on top of things this time!

I'm pretty happy that I snuck under the wire with my Hornet. I love how it flies and the color-coded line attachment points are great for a somewhat nervous packer. :) I'm not to worried about resale because I plan on putting lots of jumps on this canopy. I'm stoked that I have something new and custom for about the price of somthing else used!

I had a stuck toggle on jump 32. The slider grommet on one side came over the toggle and trapped it. When I pulled on the toggles, one came free and I went into a spin that got fast quickly. Thankfully, I had opened at about 4 grand and it was a docile Spectre 190. I managed to pull the slider off the trapped toggle and got it free at about 2500. A second or two more and I would have chopped. When I got to the ground, I was told the thing to do was opposite riser while I freed the toggle. I felt a little silly, but learned a good lesson.

I got a neon green/neon purple canopy because I noticed some canopies are hard to see against the sky. I wanted to get something that would be highly visible, both in the air and on the ground. I think different colors are appropriate for different DZs. Neon green is ideal for us desert jumpers.

I still haven't made it over to Skydive Taft. What is your DZ like? I see your canopies in the air sometime when I go into town to get lunch. I think I'll pop in for a jump or two next time I head up to AAW.

Yeah, I got my Dolphin/Tempo/Cypres for about what I was expecting to pay for a used reserve and Cypres, so I see any use I get out of it as on the house. I don't expect to get much at all when I sell it, and I'm going to have to do that when I start freeflying in earnest. Still...it fits well, it's as comfy as anything I've jumped, and it's safe. But I would never buy one new...

For what it's worth, I have a Dolphin/Hornet/Tempo. I got the container used for next to nothing and I'm happy enough with it for now, but if I was buying new, there is no way I'd pick it over the Wings The Wings looks and feels like a quality rig and is totally customized. The Dolphin looks, and is, cheap and generic. It's servicable, but you'll be happier with something else, and will get better resale to boot. The Hornet is my first canopy and I certainly feel it suits me. It has enough performance to keep me interested, but I feel it is within my somewhat limited ability level. I think I will be jumping it for a long time to come. I feel utterly comfortable under it and don't hesistate to recommend it. Keep in mind, though, that it won't be in production for much longer, so don't spend too much time thinking about it.

I saw on the PIA review thread that there is a new shape of Bonehead Mindwarp. I was about to order one and would like to see what it looks like. The Bonehead website does not seem to be updated, though. Can anyone who has seen one comment on it or point to a picture somewhere on the web? Is it a big improvement over the old one? Are there any changes other than the shape? And is it available now? Thanks!

Any idea when the new Aerodyne stuff will be available? Is it going to be as expnesive as PD, as cheap as PISA, or somewhere inbetween?

It's funny how I never feel high up in freefall, but after a hnp, I'm blown away by looking 2 1/2 miles straight down between my feet! I have the same thoughts, about how unsubstantial everything looks. Oddly enough, the thoughts go away when I get down to normal opening height.

Yeah, the notion of an "American" restaurant beyond fast food seems bizarre. I mean, there are regional foods here, such as clam chowder, BBQ, and cajun cooking, but I can't think of anything that is American besides fast food.

You managed to get one of the last Hornets. Apparently, it is ending production and PISA is becoming part of the new Aerodyne. My guess is that the new canopies won't be quite so cheap, so you did well. I got my Hornet a month ago and I'm really happy with it.

I just trim with the clippers. I cut myself shaving once, and, whilke I didn't really hurt, enduring the laughter from my girlfriend was too much! But Nair! That's just wrong! My friend accidentally got some Vicks vaporub on her most sensitive of places and she totally freaked.

Nair on the sack? If you're kidding, that's a cruel joke!

We had not one, but two similar incidents on Sunday. Both were recent converts to hand deploy. The first jumper couldn't find his handle and kept trying, taking it rather low (I think around 1500 feet). He got his main open, and landed out safely. The second jumper was coming back from a 20-year layoff. He had jumped ROL before, but this was his second or third BOC jump (after getting retraining on ripcord). He couldn't find his handle, made a couple of tries, and then went silver. As you can imagine, everyone preferred how jumper two handled the situation. If jumper one had a mal at that altitude, he may not have had the time to clear it or chop. I talked about it to another jumper, who said that he'd had an incident where he borrowed a rig from a smaller person, and then couldn't reach the handle in freefall. He then had trouble with the pillow reserve handle. The cypres saved his life and then he found himself under a PD126R (he normally jumped a 170). I guess the point of the story is that new BOC jumpers should be really sure of their handles, and also be ready to go silver earlier than later. But experienced jumpers shouldn't assume that they can easily find the handle on a rig they've never jumped before.

:1:0 Only got in one jump this weekend, but it felt great after several weather days at the DZ in a row. I did a clear and pull from altitude and got a whole lot more familiar with my canopy. I'm going to get up early and get a jump or two in before work on Tuesdar or Wednesday.

My dad, for whatever reason, is prone to making up silly nicknames for people and things. My dog Rocky, for example, was known as "the poozeriferus." I've been "Scoby" forever, no idea what it means.

That sounds really cool! Where do people do it? Any of the ski slopes in SoCal? Is it a summer or winter sport (or both)?

Last night, before I went to bed, I was reading an article on the Challenger. When my roommate woke us up this morning, I thought it was a bad dream. It was certainly weird coincidence that this would happen near the anniversaries of Apollo 1 and Challenger.

At the risk of sounding ignorant, what is blade running? I'm imagining something like slalom skiing, but with a canopy and airblades as gates. Did I get close? My friend had to use his reserve while paragliding (with a tandem passenger). The reserves are just rounds...but I guess that makes sense. Couldn't one wear a motorcycle back protector under their rig?