squirrelgirl

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Everything posted by squirrelgirl

  1. squirrelgirl
    Thank you for this. I think the problem here is people assuming I need the help and not asking before they touch the rig. I don't really know if their level of experience matters so much as the common courtesy to ask before grabbing. That said, still a student here, I need gear checks. The license will come as soon as weather cooperates! You are right about being new and female at the DZ. There are apparently a million right ways to do things and everyone seems to think their way is best. I've taken to just asking one guy whom I trust because I know he will give me honest answers. As for the gear checks, he pointed out three people and said "don't let them touch your stuff." I guess airing on the side of caution applies here.
  2. squirrelgirl
    I wasn't saying that at all. However, the mentality at the DZ and all over these forums seems to be that unless you've jumped at least a couple hundred times, your opinion doesn't mean squat about anything. Gear checks included. I'm not crazy, I am absolutely following what I've been told. I'm sorry you were treated the way you were in 1985, but that was 24 years ago, and the opinions are obviously much different now.
  3. squirrelgirl
    It's the ultimate secret-shop experience. It could get a lot of good feedback if the D licensed person wasn't already known at that DZ.
  4. squirrelgirl
    We called it the MRS degree, every girl looking to major in fashion and become a missus.
  5. squirrelgirl
    They must know something we don't... zombie-pocalypse.
  6. squirrelgirl
    I was the last one out of the plane and it felt SO weird! But I leapt out and screamed most of the way down. It felt really, really good :) I did nothing but enjoy the scenery and grin like an idiot. Came down and enjoyed a beer that I had preemptively brought for said first fun jump.
  7. squirrelgirl
    This is understandable, but something I'd obviously not thought of. The few times I've been on a solo jump, others have bent me over and checked my rig for me, giving it that slap to let me know all is well. They aren't my instructors, some of them weren't even coaches. But I thought they were being nice and a third check never hurt. Am I wrong?
  8. squirrelgirl
    The job is an incredibly serious one, which is part of the reason why I maintain that I do not wish to have children. (I could change my mind, but we'll see.) I am firm believer in the quote "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." I help repair broken adults for a living and it leaves me worn out, emotionally drained, and in desperate need of a mental health day. Sometimes I laugh and sometimes I get to see something really good, but mostly it is one of the hardest jobs there is. Being a parent is a tough job because, primarily, they should be building children that will be able to have a productive, healthy future. Not as easy as it looks!
  9. squirrelgirl
    I've never met a single Christian who is exactly that. Everyone makes concessions somewhere. I'm unsure if you're implying that you are one, but beliefs are so muddled at this point I'd have to disagree.
  10. squirrelgirl
    It's one of the best feelings in the world, isn't it? When my tandem was finished I bounced up and down and said "I want to do it again!" My camera guy said "Yeah everyone says that." Within 10 days, I was back for AFF, no lyin' :) I hope you get to jump again soon!
  11. squirrelgirl
    Hi Joe I was trying to do the same thing for AFF and it wasn't necessary. Very nervous about flipping, but it turned out to be no bigger deal than any other thing I'd learned. Instructors will help you and you'll be a-okay!
  12. squirrelgirl
    Two jumps a day has been my physical and financial limit and I've been told this is perfectly alright. The sport is for anyone willing to work enough for it and love it enough to stick with it. Nobody's going to be perfect on their first try!
  13. squirrelgirl
    C'mon now. Too many kids today can't even remember what they learned in math class just two weeks after school is let out for summer break. This speech could very likely have the exact same effect of in one ear, out the other.
  14. squirrelgirl
    It was fun to watch, but they shot it in Byron. I would like to see that get on TV, they worked pretty hard for it!
  15. squirrelgirl
    I thought it was all me, too. There was no flare to speak of and was told by my instructors that I was caught in a dust devil. I take full responsibility for screwing up and am harder on myself than I should be. I'm not trying to blame the weather for everything, but this time it wasn't working in my favor.
  16. squirrelgirl
    I had a landing like that once on AFF 6. Except I wasn't turning, the wind just sort of... picked me up and made me a rag doll. I got dragged on my face and had to explain abrasions and bruises for days to a bunch of coworkers! My nose still hurts a little, come to think of it. But we learn from these things and that is good stuff. I'm all winded out today, so I'm eager to try my hand at some better landings tomorrow. I am glad you are okay and that the only thing aching is your pride ;)
  17. squirrelgirl
    You probably already know this, but fill a tiny cup to the brim with some warm salty water and soak that sucker! I've done that to my nose ring before too, and went back to the screw type studs that don't tear as hard. That said, I never considered myself a klutz until I started skydiving. I'm as awkward as a baby giraffe, for serious.
  18. squirrelgirl
    Yes! I drove up to the dropzone that day and was like "Wow couch and TV in the field!" It was kind of neat to watch them film it. I was sooo tempted to go over and jump on the couch but am too shy. I used it as one of my accuracy landing points for my A license card, though :) "Did you mean to land by the couch?" "Yes! I just wanted to see it." "We were told not to touch it." "I didn't! I'm not THAT accurate."
  19. squirrelgirl
    I find this amusing as I, too, am a girlfriend who doesn't like the idea of a motorcycle. But once I started pursuing skydiving, my boy said that I was no longer allowed to forbid or be frightened of the bike. He's got a point, so I don't say much these days. :) You'll be done with AFF soon! Exciting!
  20. squirrelgirl
    I am new to the sport and I was also a poor college student (and still paying it off!) I won't lie, I gulped a bit when ordering my new container last week. I did the same thing at the beginning of every semester when signing promissory notes for student loans and I did the same thing when I bought my new car last year. I suppose a brand new rig is never a necessity. Yet having something that doesn't slide around on my body during free fall that I can fill with a used canopy for some time to come seems like a fantastic investment. One deep breath later and, just like with my education and my vehicle, I know I did the right thing and that it's money well spent. I've been following your thread here for a little while today and all I can think to tell you is that a fishing boat doesn't sound nearly as exciting as potentially hundreds of leaps from a perfectly good plane. :) It's expensive, but you'll justify it because you love it, right?
  21. squirrelgirl
    It is so great. Words fail to express how much it has enriched my life in such a short period of time. Erin's a good name :) Does she/will she join you in a skydive?
  22. squirrelgirl
    Depending on how deeply it soaked in, you may be. Definitely trying soaking the spot with Nature's Miracle. Otherwise, your roommate might owe you big time. I know how frustrating and gross this is.
  23. squirrelgirl
    Your tandem set-up sounds similar to mine. Except four friends became two and even they were hesitant. Two seconds out of that plane and I knew I had to do it again! Within two months, I'd finished AFF. This is fairly impressive for a girl who went to the dropzone with her boyfriend and his little brother saying "Never, not on my life" and left thinking "I have to try that or my life will not be complete." :) Enjoy!
  24. squirrelgirl
    From the small pool of beginners and students still in AFF at my DZ, I'd say no. Nobody there appears to be in a rush to get anywhere but more experienced. I think everyone has a different long term goal, but for now it seems that we're content to learn something new and work steadily toward that first license. I remember so many people telling me that my first solo might be "boring." And while I like having someone with me, it couldn't have been farther from dull. I hope jumping out of planes doesn't get "boring" anytime soon because I have no idea what hobby I'd pick up from there.
  25. squirrelgirl
    While I'm nowhere near qualified to comment on safety vs price vs experience etc... I will say that if you come to California to jump at LODI, then you could also stop in at Byron. The prices are reasonable, but the bottom line is that I love jumping there and I bet you will, too. And, once you're in CA, you could jump in lots of different spots at lots of different times of the year because the weather is pretty fantastic. Just my $0.02