About these ads
Tag Archives: skydiving

End of 2010 Results

December 18, 2010 by Jessica 14 Comments

So we are at the end of 2010 and I have to say its been a pretty rocking year.  And its not just about checking things off a list.  I did a lot of   L-I-V-I-N this year.  Here’s how I did with my goals for the year:

#1  Write a Novel: Well, the original goal was to start my novel.  I planned to participate in the National Novel Writing Month in November but it ended up not being a success.  Oh, well, I’ve got my start and I’ll keep plugging along!

#16 Get in the Guiness World Book of Records: Did the Skinny Dip Record Challenge in July and got in to the Record book on that one.

I also donated 4 pints of blood toward my goal of being the World’s Biggest Blood Donor. 

#30 Stay in the Best Suite in a Five-Star Hotel:  We’ll put this one off until we can afford to blow the cost of mortgage on a night’s stay.  So, you know, when I’m 80.

#36 Visit Every Country:  Completed my year’s goals with trips to New Zealand in March and the Bahamas in April.

#37 Make a Fire Without Matches: Nada

#52 Read the Greatest Books Ever Written:   I said I would read 12 books this year.  Total for the year of the official books, I read: Kestrel for a Knave, Not Fade Away, The Art of War,  Birdsong, David Copperfield, Brighton Rock, The Van, Bonfire of the Vanities, Possession, The Crow Road, Explaining Death to the Dog, and Crash. 

But I generally kicked ass at reading this year because I read a lot of other books, some of which, while they may not be on the “official” list, are definitely on some “Greatest Book Lists” (some aren’t but hey, everyone needs brain candy every now and then).  The other books I read include: 4 Dexter books, 6 Sookie Books, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Choke, Never Let Me Go, The Sun Also Rises, Bridges of Madison County, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The Lovely Bones, The Other Boleyn Girl, My Antonia, The Remains of the Day, and The Princess Bride.

I think 33 books in one year is honorable.

#86 Run a Marathon:  I ran the Outer Banks Marathon on November 14, 2010.  The greatest accomplishment of my life.

#93.5 Get Your Name in the Ring of Honor at Flying Saucer: So far I’m up to 123.  I’ll put in the comments the total list as that takes up a lot of space here.

#99 Confess:  Nada again.

Not part of my original goals for the year but also saw the Golden Gate Bridge (#67), visited California (#11), saw Penguins, Dolphins, and Seals in the wild (#38), swam with sharks (#2), went white water rafting (#90), attended a Carolina v. Duke basketball game (#48.5) and went skydiving (#38).

How did you do with your goals for 2010?

About these ads
Achievement, Entertainment, Excitement, Life Management, Miscellaneous, Nature, Recklessness, Relationships, Sport and Activity, Travel
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Thing to Do #28: Sky Dive

October 10, 2010 by Jessica 17 Comments

 

COMPLETED!

Although not on my original goals for the year, isn’t it always nice to do something unexpected?  Afterall (and I’ve said this a few times) the point of the list is to take advantage of opportunities as they come.  And any of the 101 Things to Do Before You Die goals that have been impromtu have been my favorites.  My opportunity came in July with my daily Groupon deal.  Usually tandem jumps cost $225 but this deal was for only $145, so I couldn’t miss out on the savings!  At the suggestion from friends that have already gone skydiving, I decided that I would like something pretty to look at while floating down for 5 minutes (after the parachute is pulled), so I booked it for October so I could see all the fall foliage.  Also, I just finished my big annual fundraiser at work, so what better way to celebrate its successful completion than jumping out of a plane?!

On October 10, 2010 (10.10.10), we headed to Louisburg, NC to the Triangle Skydiving Center.  We arrived at 3PM and signed the usual “you may die” waivers.  We then watched two other groups go up for their turn.  It finally came  our turn around 4:30 and we were called to the briefing room to get dressed.  We put on jumpsuits, got strapped into our harnesses, got helmets, goggles, and altimeters.  We headed outside to the hangar as they finished packing our parachutes.  I kept expecting there to be some kind of training but soon we were headed to the plane and nothing had been said about what to expect.

Both Alex and I had chosen to have ourselves videotaped/photographed, so as we headed to the plane, our videographers “interviewed” us and continued to take photos and video of us on the plane too.  We took forever to climb to 14,000 feet and as we continued up, my guy, Peter, began the process of strapping us together.  He asked if I had any questions about the dive and all I asked was how bad would the jerk be when the parachute was pulled.  He said it would just be a tug and pulled on my harness to give me an idea.  We also went over what position I would need to take whenever we first jumped out of the plane.  But that was about it for training!

Alex and his guy Doug were the first of the tandems to jump (the experienced skydivers went first) so I got to see my husband sucked out of a plane.  That was a little disconcerting, especially considering I was next.  We shuffled to the door, and with me facing the front of the plane and my left towards the door, we counted 1-2-3 and tumbled out of the portal.

All I saw a blur of blue; we were flipping over and over and I couldn’t tell the difference between the sky and the ground.  We straightened out and the videographer (who had climbed out of the door just prior to us and jumped at the same time as us) flew up near us to get photos and video.  He kept gesturing to get me to do poses, but I couldn’t figure out what he wanted me to do.  In the video, you see me mostly just smiling and at one point, I give a thumbs up.  Honestly, I hadn’t really thought out what I would be doing on video, so I didn’t have anything cool to do.

When we first jumped from the plane, my stomach DID drop, just as it does on a roller coaster.  But soon I didn’t feel like I was falling.  We were so far up, the ground actually didn’t look like it was getting closer and there were no clouds to pass by.  Mostly it was just a lot of wind hitting me in the face (and at 120 miles an hour, no wonder).  My ears hurt from the drop/wind whistling through.  After about 60 seconds of free fall, we were near 5,000 feet and it was time to pull the cord.  He patted my shoulder to let me know he was pulling the parachute and we jerked upwards.  The jerk was MUCH more than the little pull he gave me on the plane.

We then had about 5 minutes to float down to the ground.  Peter showed me how to maneuver the parachute to go right, left, and slow down or speed up.  But spinning to the right and left made me nauseous.  In addition to feeling sick, I was having trouble breathing because the straps were so tight.  I mentioned it to Peter and he loosened the strap that was across my chest.

As we neared the ground, I pulled my knees/legs up and we slid in on our bottoms much more smoothly than I thought we would.  The video guy came up to me immediately to ask how I liked it and I mumbled something about enjoying myself but really, I felt like I was going to throw up.  I sat on the ground for a while longer and took several deep gulps of air.

When I finally spoke to Alex again on the ground, he was all smiles.  He had a great time and enjoyed himself without getting sick.  He had actually gone to a local beer festival the night before and was rather hung over.  So he was a little out of it and probably could have enjoyed himself more if he had felt better.  When his guy Doug pulled their parachute, the jolt was very hard, harder than it should have been.  You can see in his video that his jerk is much worse than mine.  Doug commented that it was the hardest jerk he had ever had on a tandem jump.  Apparently, someone packed their parachute incorrectly.  So Alex was rather stiff afterwards, probably with a bit of whiplash.

I really liked the free falling part but in my old age, I’m getting increasingly prone to motion sickness.  It got to me when we were at Cedar Point last summer riding roller coasters back to back.  Between the pressure of the straps on my chest and swinging back and forth in the air, it was just a little too much to take.  Interestingly, I never really felt like I was strapped to Peter until he had pulled the parachute; of course, then my whole body weight was pulling on all of the straps as I was hanging from his body.

I probably won’t do it again, but definitely an experience I’m glad to have!

So what do you think?  Have you gone and want to do it again?  Think I’m crazy for jumping out of a perfectly good plane?  Are you like me and have jumped but think its not for you?

Excitement, Recklessness, Sport and Activity
, , , ,

Just Catching Up

July 23, 2010 by Jessica 8 Comments

I know I just did a quarterly report at the end of June, but I’ve been busy in July too and wanted to talk about it.

  • My longest run so far is 12 miles and I’ve run a total of 107 miles.  I missed running with my group for two Saturdays in a row; I planned to make up the runs by myself on Sunday morning but I skipped one and elected sleep instead.  I’ve also missed some mid-week runs this month.  When I first started running, I got excited about the mid-week runs and getting up at 5:30AM on Saturday morning wasn’t so difficult.  We’re almost at the halfway mark now and the newness has worn off; running for 30 minutes when the heat index is 107 degrees is not fun and waking up early on Saturday mornings for the long runs in 90 degrees isn’t fun either.  However, I have to keep going!  I’ve made it this far – can’t quit now!  I’ve got a medal to win!
  • Obviously I’ve already talked about the Skinny Dip record attempt.  No news on whether or not they broke the record yet.  I’ll keep you posted.
  • I found a GREAT deal on skydiving through Groupon and bought two tandem jumps for myself and Alex.  I want to go in October with the idea that after you’re finished free-falling, you still have a while to float down; might as well have beautiful fall foliage to look at on the way.
  • I’ve really been doing well with my beers.  I’m up to 90 beers towards getting my name in the ring of honor at the Flying Saucer.  At beer #100, I’ll get a free “biggie” beer and will be halfway though to 200.  I may just finish this in another year or so (I originally thought it would take me 4 years total, but I think it may be more like 2.5 years)
  • I only have 18 books left on the “Greatest Book List.”  I just finished The Bonfire of the Vanities and really enjoyed it.  Since I read two big fat books in a row, taking some time off to read brain candy in the way of Darkly Dreaming Dexter.  Yep, getting ready to read the Dexter series.  However, I think I’ll try to fit Crash in there somewhere.
  • My American Red Cross blood donor card came in the mail and my next blood donation is August 9th.  I think if I can just get on a schedule of every 2 months, I’ll get into the habit and it’ll be easier.
  • We’re doing the Upper Gauley again this year, scheduled September 25th with Songer Whitewater.  That’s always exciting and we’re going with a great group of people this year that I think will make the trip even more fun.

So how are you doing on your goals?  Anything new with you?

Achievement, Entertainment, Excitement, Life Management, Miscellaneous, Nature, Recklessness, Relationships, Sport and Activity, Travel
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Things to Do in Vegas

July 8, 2010 by Jessica 12 Comments

 Next week Alex is traveling to Vegas for work.  I had toyed with the idea of going with him but his work took a long while deciding the actual dates of the conference, while in the meantime flight costs were going up week by week.  In the end, I decided I’d save my money to tag along on a much-hoped for Hawaii work trip he probably will have in the fall.  When I still thought I’d be joining him in Vegas, I wrote this post with the hopes of things I’d get accomplished; oh, well, there’s always our 5 year anniversary.

Alex happened to DVR a show off of the Travel channel called Extreme Vegas which detailed interesting things to do and see in Vegas (you know, when you are bored from non stop drinking, gambling, and seeing the shows).  Although we just went to Vegas last year, I do want to go back.  In all the hustle and bustle of getting married, I didn’t really get to explore and see Vegas.  However, after watching the show, I was pleased that in our short time there, we happened to do several of these things already and now when I go back, I know what else I need to accomplish.

Skydive Wedding
Skydive Las Vegas
Alex suggested this be a way we renew our vows.  Whatcha think?

Aureole’s Wine Tower
Mandalay Bay
At Mandalay Bay’s Aureole, diners can choose from the restaurant’s 9,865 bottles of wine housed in a skyscraper-like wine tower. Each glass is delivered by daredevil waitresses who deftly maneuver in a high-tech, mission impossible-style harness system.  As we stayed at Mandalay Bay, I did see the tower and the girls zipping back and forth.  Alex actually had his bachelor dinner here the night before we got married.

The Pleasure Pit
Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood’s The Pleasure Pit has dealers scantily clad in revealing lingerie and is also the only casino on the Strip with four stripper poles on the casino floor.  When we were at the Golden Nugget, there were girls on stripper poles there, but as that is in “Old Vegas,” these girls weren’t exactly A-list.  Also, at The Palms, Playboy Bunnies were the dealers, so they are pretty risque in their attire too.  We didn’t make it to The Pleasure Pit, but I’m sure I’m not really missing anything.

Thrill Rides
The Stratosphere
We were on our way to ride the rides at The Stratosphere until I realized we needed to be back at the hotel to pick out wedding photos.  The next time I’m in Vegas though, this is top of my list.  On the X-Scream, your rollercoaster car dangles 29 feet off the building’s edge and more than 900 feet in the air. The Insanity is an 80,000-pound steel and titanium centripetal spin machine that flies higher than the X-Scream and simulates the same amount of force astronauts feels when a space shuttle lifts off.  The Stratosphere’s most extreme thrill ride is the Big Shot, a catapult-like ride that explodes 160 feet at 45 miles per hour. The ride takes about 2 and a 1/2 seconds and creates four Gs of force on the way up — at the top, you’re over 1,000 feet above the Vegas Strip and completely weightless (Experiencing weightlessness is on the 101 things to do before you die list.  Do you think this counts?).

The Four by Four by Two
RM Seafood, Mandalay Bay
RM Seafood was actually where we held our reception dinner and the food was absolutely wonderful.  What we didn’t try and what I’m going to have to back for is the Four by Four by Two. The dish is 4 rows by 4 rows of seriously surprising ice cream flavors meant to be shared by 2 people.  These are very unique flavors, like black pepper with balsamic vinegar, carrot cheesecake, foie gras, rum and coke, celery lime and black truffle just to name a few.  When I saw it on TV, I thought for sure it would be a terribly expensive dish, but I checked and its only $18 – that’s totally in my price range!

The Neon Museum
I had heard about this before but assumed it was outside of town.  Imagine my surprise when I realized it’s in the heart of downtown!  The Neon Museum is a 3-acre light-filled graveyard where 160 years of vintage Vegas signs cast light on Sin City’s historic past. Among the most famous are the Silver Slipper and the Stardust Casino sign. The slipper stands 15 feet tall and weighs over 2 tons and once sat atop the Silver Slipper Gambling Hall, a favorite haunt of Frank Sinatra. After its debut in 1968, the Stardust sign was the largest sign in the world for 10 years.  (The Neon Museum is actually closed right now, so I’m glad I’m not going right now).

They also mentioned Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas, which is a 5-block pedestrian walkway showcasing 10 fully refurbished classic signs. It’s the number one tourist destination in Las Vegas, welcoming almost 19 million people a year.  We hit Fremont Street several times during our visit since that was where the “cheap gambling” was.

Carnival Buffet
Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino
If you’ve been to Vegas, you know its tough to find affordable places to eat.  Apparently, if you go to The Rio, you’ll at least get a lot for your money at Vegas’ biggest buffet. The food choices stretch out on tables measuring over 340 feet long and features over 400 different kinds of food including pizza, sushi and the popular Texas-sized prime rib. The buffet is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week and allows patrons to stay as long as they want and eat as much as their stomachs will hold.

Minus 5
Mandalay Bay
We already detailed our visit to Minus 5 while in Vegas, as well as our visits to the Ice Bar when in Queenstown and Auckland while in New Zealand.

Not included on this TV special but I’ve also heard about the Skyjump off the Stratosphere (which is like bungee jumping but gentler) and a Zipline course nearby (Alex and I really enjoy ziplines, having done 3, and are now kinda snobs about having done 2 that were really not that impressive.  This one boasts long lines that get up to speeds of 50 mph, so I think it meets our standards).  Other than probably going to Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon (which I realize is 4 hours away, but I’ll make it work), are there any other interesting things we should try on our next visit to Vegas?

EDIT:  I just found out about this on July 14. You can now dive during a live performance of Le Reve show Wynn Las Vegas as part of the new Diver’s Dream package!  It’s pricey ($999 for a single diver, although it also includes two nights stay and lots of VIP/backstage access at Le Reve) but wouldn’t this be an awesome way to check off #46: Go Scuba Diving? 

http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/#packages/diver_s_dream_package/

Entertainment, Excitement, Life Management, Travel
, , , , , , , , ,

Final Report for 2009

December 26, 2009 by Jessica 5 Comments

I posted my Things to Do for 2009 in the beginning of January and did  follow ups throughout the year.  We’re still a few days from the end of the year but I figured I could go ahead and post my final report:

#12 Get a piece of art into an exhibition – Completed!

#14 Ride the World’s Biggest Rollercoasters – Rode the Top Thrill Dragster but Son of Beast was closed.

#22 Go Up in a Hot Air Balloon – FAIL!

#28 Sky Dive – FAIL! (Although when I went to New Hampshire in April, I went Indoor Skydiving.  I’m working my way up…)

#37 Make fire without matches – FAIL!

#52 Read the All-Time Greatest Books – Completed my goal of reading 8 (Asterix and the Golden Sickle, The Day of the Triffids, Atomised, The Buddha of Suburbia, The Lost Estate, An Artist of the Floating World, The New York Trilogy, and Stupid White Men)  Even went above an beyond and succeeded on my third try of The Grapes of Wrath.  Also read Winter’s Tale, Earthly Powers, and The End of the Affair.  Of course, these are the books that are on THE OFFICIAL LIST, but I also read: Ava: My Story, Grabtown Girl, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, The Little Prince, Revolutionary Road and the first four of the Sookie Stackhouse books (almost all brain candy :)

#88 Get Married Unusually – Completed June 6, 2009.  Vegas, Baby!

#99 Confess –  FAIL!

So this is where I am on the original goals for 2009.  However, I also manged to be a part of a flash mob during the No-Pants Subway Ride, went snow sledding for the first time in my life, saw a Bald Eagle, milked a cow, and started toward trying to get my name in the ring of honor at Flying Saucer.  As of right now, I have drank 54 of my 200 beers . 

How did you do on your New Year’s Resolutions/goals for 2009?

Achievement, Entertainment, Excitement, Life Management, Miscellaneous, Nature, Recklessness, Relationships, Sport and Activity, Travel
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Third Quarterly Report

October 1, 2009 by Jessica 2 Comments

I posted my Things to Do for 2009 in the beginning of January and did a follow up in my Second Quarterly report in June.  Here is where I am on these goals:

#12 Get a piece of art into an exhibition – Completed!

#14 Ride the World’s Biggest Rollercoasters – Rode the Top Thrill Dragster but Son of Beast was closed.

#22 Go Up in a Hot Air Balloon – So far no plans on this one and I may have to move this one off the list for this year.

#28 Sky Dive – Again, no plans for this one, although when I went to New Hampshire in April, I went Indoor Skydiving.  I’m working my way up…

#37 Make fire without matches – Not yet…

#52 Read the All-Time Greatest Books – Completed my goal of reading 8 (Asterix and the Golden Sickle, The Day of the Triffids, Atomised, The Buddha of Suburbia, The Lost Estate, An Artist of the Floating World, The New York Trilogy, and Stupid White Men)  Even went above an beyond and succeeded on my third try of The Grapes of Wrath.  Currently reading Winter’s Tale.

#88 Get Married Unusually – Completed June 6, 2009.  Vegas, Baby!

#99 Confess – I put this one off all summer because Saturdays are too busy with nice outdoor activities.  Maybe I’ll wait until its cold.  

So this is where I am on the original goals for 2009.  However, I also manged to be a part of a flash mob during the No-Pants Subway Ride, went snow sledding for the first time in my life, saw a Bald Eagle, and started toward trying to get my name in the ring of honor at Flying Saucer.  As of right now, I have drank 45 of my 200 beers and plan to get at least 5 more by the end of the year.  I may also be able to complete another Thing to Do at the NC State Fair but I’ll unveil that one if it happens…

How are you doing on your New Year’s Resolutions/goals for 2009?

Achievement, Entertainment, Excitement, Life Management, Miscellaneous, Nature, Recklessness, Relationships, Sport and Activity, Travel
, , , , , , , , ,

Update to THE List

September 24, 2009 by Jessica 1 Comment

Since I first bought the 101 Things to Do Before You Die, I knew there were items on the list that I would never want to do.  Instead, I have other items that I would like substitute for these.  Thus far, I have completed 28 and have partially completed 10. 

So (drum roll please) I unveil…THE updated List:

1     Write a Best-Seller                                                            

2     Swim With… (Dolphins, Whales, Sharks) - COMPLETED                                                                      

3     Win an Award, Trophy, or Prize - COMPLETED                                                        

4     Catch A Fish With Your Bare Hands                                 

5     Make a Discovery                                                             

6     Throw A House Party When Your Parents Are Out - COMPLETED    

7     Eat Chocolate Covered Ants                                                  

8     Realize Your Childhood Dream                                

9     Learn that instrument - COMPLETED

10   Leave your mark in graffiti - COMPLETED

11   Storm Chase A Tornado Visit Every State - PARTIALLY                   

12   Get A Piece of Art into a Exhibition – COMPLETED                                  

13   Meet someone with your own name - COMPLETED

14   Ride the World’s Biggest Rollercoasters - PARTIALLY

15   Stage Dive or Crowd Surf                                                 

16   Get into the Guinness Book of World Records                 

17   Own a Pointless Collection - COMPLETED

18   Study the Kama Sutra and Put Theory Into Practice  - PARTIALLY

19   Master Poker and Win Big in a Casino                              

20   Get backstage and hang out with a Rock God - COMPLETED

21   Be a Human Guinea Pig  - COMPLETED     

22   Go Up in a Hot Air Balloon                                               

23   Get Arrested Ride in a Sleeper Car on a Train                  

24   See a Space Shuttle Launch                                              

25   Capture the Moment in an Award-winning Photograph      

26   Bungee Jump                                                                    

27   See an Erupting Volcano                                                   

28   Sky Dive                                                                           

29   Meet Your Idol                                                                 

30   Stay in the Best Suite in a Five Star Hotel                          

31   Experience Weightlessness                                                

32   See the Aurora Borealis                                                    

33   Get to Score a Hole in One                                               

34   Design your own cocktail - COMPLETED                                                              

35   Play a Part in Your Favorite TV Show                             

36   Visit Every Country - PARTIALLY                           

37   Make Fire Without Matches     

38   See These Animals in the Wild - PARTIALLY

39   Bet on a horse/dog/etc race - COMPLETED

40   Get a Free Upgrade on a Plane                                         

41   Be Friends with your ex - COMPLETED                                                  

42   Go Target Shooting - COMPLETED                                    

43   Throw a Dart into a Map and Travel to Where it Lands     

44   Attend a Film Premiere - COMPLETED

45   Do a Runner From a Fancy Restaurant                              

46   Scuba Dive           

47   Milk a Cow                                                                      

48   Be Present When Your Country Wins the World Cup  Be Present When UNC Wins the National Championship, Redskins Win the Super Bowl, or Hurricanes Win the Stanley Cup                                              

49   See Both Solar and Lunar Eclipses - PARTIALLY                                   

50   Write Your Name Over a Star on the Walk of Fame         

51   Learn Another Language                                                   

52   Read the Greatest Books Ever Written - PARTIALLY                             

53   Complete a Coast to Coast Road Trip Across America     

54   Make at least one huge purchase you can’t afford - COMPLETED

55   Score the Winning Try/Goal/Basket - COMPLETED                                   

56   Gatecrash A Fancy Party                                                  

57   See the All-Time Greatest Films - COMPLETED

58   Live in the Place You Love                                                

59   Leave a Job You Hate - COMPLETED                                                

60   Take Part in a Police Line-up                                            

61   Get Away with the Perfect Practical Joke or Hoax             

62   Join the Mile High Club                                                     

63   Make the Front Page of a National Newspaper                 

64   Drive a Car at Top Speed                                                 

65   Shout ‘Drinks Are on Me!’ in a Pub or Bar                        

66   Be Part of a Flash Mob - COMPLETED                                                     

67   Visit (This is a list of iconic places around the world, so far I’ve only visited the Roman Coliseum). – PARTIALLY         

68   Save Someones Life                                                          

69   In Various Languages, Learn to say…(please, thank you, your welcome, I’d like a beer, swear, etc) - COMPLETED

70   Invent a Word That Makes it into the Dictionary

71   Have Adventurous Sex (in different places) – PARTIALLY

72   Have Enough Money to Do All the Things on This List

73   Stand on the International Date Line

74   Learn to Fly a Plane

75   Get a tattoo and/or piercing - COMPLETED

76   Invent Something

77   Learn Astronomy and Read the Night Sky

78   Drink a Vintage Wine

79   Answer a Personal Ad - COMPLETED

80   Spend Christmas on the Beach

81   Get Barred From a Pub or Bar

82   Build Your Own House

83   Skinny Dip a Midnight – COMPLETED

84   Sell all Your Junk on eBay and Make a Profit Learn How to Ski

85   Visit the World’s Tallest Buildings - PARTIALLY

86   Run a Marathon

87   Conquer Your Fear

88   Get Married Unusually - COMPLETED

89   Learn to Cook

90   Join the 16-Mile High Club  Go White Water Rafting - COMPLETED

91   Publish a Cult Website
92   Own an Original Work of Art - COMPLETED

93   Complete the Monopoly Board Pub Crawl

93.5  Get Your Name in the Ring of Honor at Flying Saucer - PARTIALLY

94   Get Something Named After You

95   Get Revenge

96   Be an Extra in a Film

97   Live Out of a Van Attend Mardi Gras - COMPLETED

98   Go On a Demonstration

99   Confess

100 Reach 100 Years of Age

101 Continue Your Gene Pool

Achievement, Entertainment, Excitement, Life Management, Miscellaneous, Nature, Recklessness, Relationships, Sport and Activity, Travel
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Second Quarterly Report

September 24, 2009 by Jessica 1 Comment

I posted my Things to Do for 2009 in the beginning of January and did a follow up in my Quarterly Report in March.  Here is where I am on these goals:

#12 Get a piece of art into an exhibition – There is an annual art exhibition in Clayton in September.  I have purchased the frame and have completed the piece of art.  I just have to wait until September to enter it in the exhibition!

#14 Ride the World’s Biggest Rollercoasters – Alex and I are traveling to Ohio in August with my friends Steve and Lydia to ride the Top Thrill Dragster and Son of Beast, two on the list of six.

#22 Go Up in a Hot Air Balloon – So far no plans on this one and I may have to move this one off the list for this year.

#28 Sky Dive – Again, no plans for this one, although when I went to New Hampshire in April, I went Indoor Skydiving.  I’m working my way up…

#37 Make fire without matches – I’ve got the magnifying glass but with the 100 degree temperatures lately, I may just spontaneously combust.

#52 Read the All-Time Greatest Books – Have read 4 of my proposed goal of 8

#88 Get Married Unusually – Completed June 6, 2009.  Vegas, Baby!

#99 Confess – I keep putting this one off.  All the churches around here have theirs at 4pm on Saturdays.  Just got to get up the nerve!

So this is where I am on the original goals.   However, I also manged to be a part of a flash mob during the No-Pants Subway Ride, went snow sledding for the first time in my life, saw a Bald Eagle, and started toward trying to get my name in the ring of honor at Flying Saucer (as of right now, I have drank 28 of my 200 beers!). 

I could be more productive, especially on the confession and fire without matches fronts, but I’ve still got half a year to go!

How are you doing on your New Year’s Resolutions/goals for 2009?

Achievement, Entertainment, Excitement, Life Management, Miscellaneous, Nature, Recklessness, Relationships, Sport and Activity, Travel
, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Thing to Do #28.5: Go Indoor Skydiving

September 24, 2009 by Jessica 2 Comments

snc13644snc13645snc13649snc13671snc13672Thing to do #28 is to go Sky Diving.  I’m not actually afraid of going skydiving, its more of a cost thing.  What is vastly more affordable is going Indoor Skydiving.  While in New Hampshire, we decided to take advantage of the nearby wind tunnel, SkyVenture New Hampshire.  Unfortunately, Jessica had recently torn a muscle in her thigh, so she wasn’t able to participate.  Instead, her sister and friend Nick went skydiving with me instead.

When we first arrived, we filled out the obligatory “You May Die” waivers and then went upstairs to watch a group try to “fly.”  Within this group, there were several small boys, one of which couldn’t be older than 4 (you can Indoor Skydive as young as 2); I’ve never seen a little boy concentrate on something so seriously!  Some managed to fly, others bumped into the glass sides or off of the wire screen on the bottom. 

We went into the training room, where we were taught hand signals that would tell us to straighten or bend our legs more, arch our backs, or chin up.  The idea was to bend your legs slightly, arch your back, keep your chin up, and keep your arms at 90 degrees.  After this very short training session, we were allowed to get into our flight suits, arm and knee pads, goggles, and helmets.  And earplugs.  We were ready to be shot out of our nearest cannon.

In our group were two other couples, one of which had opted to stay in the tunnel for two turns of 2.5 minutes each (everyone else had two turns of 1 minute each).  When you arrived at the entrance to the tunnel, we were instructed to put our arms against our chest and belly flop into the tunnel, immediately putting our arms out.  Jessica’s sister Cairin did wonderfully, the only member in our group that really flew, balanced, on her own.  Nick’s first turn unfortunately was consumed by the fact that he had not put on his goggles tightly enough and as they quickly zoomed to his forehead, he had to keep his eyes closed for much of his first flight.  On my first flight, I bumped around the glass and wire floor like much of the others.  I got frustrated because the instructor seemed to keep pulling my arms straight and trying to do something with my hands, although hand positioning had never been mentioned during our little training.

On the second flight, if the person wanted, the flight instructor would take hold of us and zoom us to the top of the tunnel during the last 30 seconds.  During my second flight, I flew a bit on my own, well balanced, before I bounced against the glass again and fell down to the floor.  I smiled at one point, as there was an employee that took photos (for purchase, of course), and a big glob of saliva promptly flew out onto my cheek.  We purchased the DVD of our flight and in the video, we all burst into laughter at me wiping my cheek. 

It was decided that while it was fun, we probably wouldn’t do it again, when actual skydiving could be done.  Jessica and Cairin got very interested in a nearby skydiving company, Jumptown, where a person can attend AFF Camp and over the course of 4 days, there are hours in the classroom and 8 jumps, where after, you can begin solo jumps.  Its only $1,495.

While interesting, I mostly don’t want to sit through all of that classroom time.  I’d rather just do a tandem jump, feel the wind rushing through my hair, where the exhileration of free falling is sufficient.

Anyone gone indoor skydiving or better yet, REAL skydiving?

Excitement
, , , ,

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 162 other followers

%d bloggers like this: