Today was a good day. My mom got hired for a full-time nursing position this morning. It pays enough to cover all of her expenses and then some, provides full health coverage as well as a 401k. Also, I found out that I'm getting a raise (and after only a month on the job). I'm going to be taking on a bit more responsibility, helping the managers with a task that has previously been reserved just for them. I'm not sure how much the raise will be, but every little bit helps. This means that a huge weight is lifted off of my shoulders. Barring some sort of catastrophe, the financial situation seems to have worked itself out. Phew!
So now my money earned can be dedicated to skydiving and fun in general. It's amazing how happy that thought makes me.
Showing posts with label money or the lack thereof. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money or the lack thereof. Show all posts
Friday, September 26, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
First attempt at tracking
Lucky me, there was a pilot at the DZ last night.
Jump #10
I got out there around 5:00 and got in the plane just before 6. I did a coach jump with Dan, who's been around the sport forever. He was really helpful in going over new canopy techniques with me, and he also answered a couple of my questions about spotting. This was my first tracking dive, and it went OK, I guess. It took me a few seconds to figure out where my heading should be, and then on my first attempt to track I started drifting to the left. Dipping a shoulder to correct the turn didn't work very well, so I went back to the neutral position, turned the direction I wanted to be facing, and gave it another shot. I managed to fly straight this time. The plan was to track back and forth perpendicular (north-south) to jump run, but we were so far north of the landing area that I just kept heading south and didn't stop until just before pull time. I'm now pulling at 4000ft instead of 5000ft. My landing was very gentle, and only 10-15 meters off target.
If I finish moving my mom out of her house early enough on Sunday, I'll try to do a couple solo jumps in the evening. If not, I'll probably be waiting until next Thursday. Pretty soon I'll be out of money (or out of money that isn't already committed to paying my mom's living expenses and mortgage), so unless the DZO is willing to let me start a tab, I might have to take a break from jumping for a bit. If my mom's house would just sell already, I'd be set. Then she'd pay me back the money I've given her, and I'd have few grand extra to start buying my own gear. The only problem with that is so far there's been very little interest in her house. If anyone knows of a family looking for a ~20yr old house with 6 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, and 2 kitchens in a nice southern Idaho neighborhood, send them my direction.
Jump #10
I got out there around 5:00 and got in the plane just before 6. I did a coach jump with Dan, who's been around the sport forever. He was really helpful in going over new canopy techniques with me, and he also answered a couple of my questions about spotting. This was my first tracking dive, and it went OK, I guess. It took me a few seconds to figure out where my heading should be, and then on my first attempt to track I started drifting to the left. Dipping a shoulder to correct the turn didn't work very well, so I went back to the neutral position, turned the direction I wanted to be facing, and gave it another shot. I managed to fly straight this time. The plan was to track back and forth perpendicular (north-south) to jump run, but we were so far north of the landing area that I just kept heading south and didn't stop until just before pull time. I'm now pulling at 4000ft instead of 5000ft. My landing was very gentle, and only 10-15 meters off target.
If I finish moving my mom out of her house early enough on Sunday, I'll try to do a couple solo jumps in the evening. If not, I'll probably be waiting until next Thursday. Pretty soon I'll be out of money (or out of money that isn't already committed to paying my mom's living expenses and mortgage), so unless the DZO is willing to let me start a tab, I might have to take a break from jumping for a bit. If my mom's house would just sell already, I'd be set. Then she'd pay me back the money I've given her, and I'd have few grand extra to start buying my own gear. The only problem with that is so far there's been very little interest in her house. If anyone knows of a family looking for a ~20yr old house with 6 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, and 2 kitchens in a nice southern Idaho neighborhood, send them my direction.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The Good and the Bad
I have decided to take a much lighter course load in school for my senior year and get a job. My first priority is helping my mom out with her bills, but the added bonus is that whatever is left over will go towards skydiving. I've never worked while going to school, so this will be a new experience for me. I need to maintain full-time status in order to keep my scholarship, but I'll only be taking 12ish credits per semester rather than the very painful 22 I had last spring. I'm looking forward to not wanting to die during midterms and finals.
The good news on the job front is that 24 hours after I submitted a couple online applications, I got a callback for an interview. This means that money for skydiving may be coming my way in the near future. The bad news is that it will still probably be another couple weeks before I can afford to go again :(
The good news on the job front is that 24 hours after I submitted a couple online applications, I got a callback for an interview. This means that money for skydiving may be coming my way in the near future. The bad news is that it will still probably be another couple weeks before I can afford to go again :(
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