Alright I've got to push this one out fast because I have homework to do! (that's what she said)
Skydiving: At first, I was convinced we weren't going to be able to jump at all which I was really disappointed about. Because we ended up leaving really late and Destiny barely knew where we were going, the place wasn't answering their phones, and I thought we were supposed to register in advance. But we drove there anyway even though it was an hour away, and luckily there were people there willing to fly us up which couldn't have been cost-effective because it was just the two of us. However, their team who jumps tandem (when two people jump strapped together with the same parachute) was in Houston so they called one guy who sometimes does it and lives an hour and a half away. He was willing to drive out so while he was on his way, we learned what we were supposed to do (which was very little- less than you need to know for trapeze). This place was basically a converted warehouse, which should have scared me. We watched a five minute tutorial made from the 80's by this guy with the most epic beard I've ever seen (the pictures are on facebook). Then Destiny was like, "I want to wear a cool jumpsuit!" It wasn't required so I wasn't going to, but one of the guys said, "You know, those little tank tops aren't very sturdy up there." And then another guy went, "Dang, why'd you have to go and ruin the video?!"...so I opted for the jumpsuit. There was this lady breast feeding in plain sight and one of the same perverts went, "If a lady's gonna do that she should at least take the other one out for everyone else to enjoy." Yeah, they were really gross... When I told Gary I was a political science major he snorted in disgust (which happens all the time and it pisses me off- I want to make the world a better place damn it, I don't want to be a sleaze ball politician). I asked him what was wrong with that and he sadly said, "You voted for Obama didn't you?" I explained I was too young to vote at the time but told him I interned at a Republican's office to stay on his good side so he wouldn't unbuckle me from the parachute 5,000 feet up.
I offered to go up first because I didn't want to have time to get nervous or think about it. The plane ride was about 20 minutes and on a very small plane. It was me, the pilot, Destiny in the co-pilot's seat, four other jumpers who worked there, and me and my partner. We were all straddling these two long benches on the plane. The whole time everyone kept asking me if I was scared yet, or if reality had set in. But the reason I never got scared at all was because I took it realistically. I knew that people did it every day and that statistically, it was very safe. I trusted Gary, my partner way too much. He was this 60 year old toothless pervert who has the world record for the most "head first" jumps, or something weird like that. So I was very relaxed the entire time and mostly just excited.
Then, they opened the hatch and everyone else jumped out. We were last and we jumped at 13,500 feet. I had to sit on the edge with my feet dangling outside and then we just kind of leaned forward and fell out. That was probably my favorite part because it's like trapeze- jumping off the platform is the most exhilarating part. And then we were free falling for I think about 45 seconds. You could see both coasts and the view was beautiful. It was pretty cold but it felt really good. You know when you stick your hand out of a car window and feel a pillow of air on it? It felt just like that, but on your whole body. It was an awesome feeling. I've always wanted to fly more than anything else in the world, so I feel like I've accomplished my life dream now haha. I was perfectly content with the idea of dying right then; not kidding. It would have been worth it.
The person who was video taping jumped out either before or after me (I don't remember) and during this period he filmed close-ups that look amazing in the video. They're mailing it to my dorm and after I copy it onto my computer, you'll be able to see. I think I drooled all over my chin while I was up there because you literally lose control of yourself up there but thank GOD it isn't visible in the video.
After the first part, he pulled the second chute and that's when I could hear again and it was much slower. We floated down for about twenty minutes and that was when you could really enjoy the view. The first ten minutes were fun because I got to operate the parachute, which works kind of like a sail because you pulled different chords to go left or right by filling it with air. We got to spin and the g-forces on that were pretty intense. Then the last two minutes weren't so fun because the closer you get to the ground, you start to feel more queasy and just want to be on the ground. Plus me and Gary could actually talk then, and that was just weird. I actually felt like I might throw up but it was hardly bad at all. Our landing wasn't perfect; we landed on our knees basically but it didn't hurt or anything.
Then we watched the video and then Destiny went up. I flew up in the co-pilot seat this time and got to wear their headset and hear all of the different transmissions and see the buttons and everything. I also got to fly the plane for a good five minutes which included steering. That was really cool. But then once the jumpers were out of the plane, the pilot basically did a nosedive to get to the ground as fast as possible to save fuel and money. That was worse than the spinning while I was sky diving and the pressure was really intense. I kind of want to learn to fly a plane, but that made me question it a little.
Anyway, overall it was much less extreme and scary than the connotation associated with sky diving. I actually think there might be more of a thrill in trapeze, although it is very different. I don't think I got the full rush most people get because the emotional highs and lows and fear wasn't there but it was still by far one of the coolest things I've ever done. It's unlike anything else out there and it really is just like flying, which is incredible. I'd love to do it again but I'll probably wait a while since it IS expensive. If you pay the package to be trained to do it by yourself it's something like a thousand dollars for 7 jumps (which is way less than if you paid the standard price for each jump) and then after that, it's 10 or 20 dollars for every jump. I REALLY doubt I'll ever do that, but I definitely do plan on doing it again sometime in my life.
Now about the game...Again by sheer luck, I got box seats. I was going to pick up my student ticket and I ran into this girl Savannah who I've met twice. She showed me where to go to pick it up and then a couple hours later she texted me and said "What were you saying about needing another ticket?" I had no idea what she was talking about but I wasn't going to pass up anything free so I said, "I have one but do you have an extra one or something?" And she said, "Well my friend wants a student ticket so you could sell it to her and then sit in my family's box with me for free." So that's what I did! It was really cool because the process to get a box is insane- you have to be a UF alumni, donate millions of dollars, and wait a good ten years for your request to be processed. Her family was this really attractive family with southern accents. I legitimately felt like I was the black kid in the Blindside and they were the family with Sandra Bullock as the mom.
It was incredible how many people were there- 90,000. EVERYTHING was orange and blue and it was awesome hearing the stadium reverberate with yelling and cheering. It was a beautiful day from where I was sitting so I was able to overlook the whole football part of the game. Just kidding, kind of. It was fun to watch but I still will never understand why so many Americans love football. Jumping out of a plane seems much more rational if you ask me. I had my kindle in my bag and the whole time I was just itching to read instead. But I was there for four hours and never got really bored so I must like it on some level. Then Joanna and Danielle slept over in my room and it's really nice having them here- it feels like home.
Anyway, I'm really sorry these have been such boring posts. The writing hasn't been very good but summarizing was about all I could muster right now. Monica, I demand to hear about the rest of your classes!
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