h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

No matter what kind of mood I'm in, the story in the sky always amazes me for some reason, no matter what the weather. Maybe because I'm a fan of 'big weather', whether storms, snow, sun. And because in some directions, I can see for miles, & the differences covered in those miles

Parachute jumps in my long forgotten youth also exceeded my expectations - in the sheer terror that I would suffer during the real thing. I was so scared, I could not vocalise the "one one thousand, two one thousand...etc". My mouth opened but nothing emerged from it. Pure fright reaction to it, but I did manage to do 6 jumps. How the hell I got in the plane after the first experience - I'd need a shrink to properly know that

Yes I did a parachute jump..just the one. And it was one of the high points of my life. I insisted on going in the number 1 position so I was first out the plane..but that meant sitting near the open bit. I didn't do it the first time the jumpmaster said 'jump' too busy holding onto the legs of one of the other people. Boundaries break down in those situations.

But I did it after the plane circled again.

The most incredible bit for me was when the chute opened and suddenly you are floating all above the landscape. It was like the most sublime thing ever to feel that safety suddenly after the actual jump, and to enjoy coming down and looking at everything.

"Through space the universe encompasses and swallows me up like an
atom; through thought I comprehend the world." - Blaise Pascal

This statement attributed to Blaise Pascal justaposes two ideas - one
that we are insignificant in terms of comparative scales - and one
that we can hold the universe and its processes within ourselves -
making us not so insignificant.

"The most incredible bit for me was when the chute opened and suddenly you are floating all above the landscape. It was like the most sublime thing ever to feel that safety suddenly after the actual jump, and to enjoy coming down and looking at everything."

Wasn't it absolutely amazing? I completetly forewent any semblance of steering myself to the landing strip - all I did was turn in circles to take in all the veiw, from all angles. As a result, I landed in a field of barley, & had to trudge back to base, albeit with a huge grin of appreciation & adrenaline rush all over my face

I landed in a field of cows who surrounded me in mystery..that was so funny.

I'll bet they had the most dopey look all over their faces - the bovine equivalent of WTF?

Sometimes it is good to let go - just to know you can and still land
on your feet.

Unfortunately, I landed on my side & had an ear of barley in my ear for over a week. You can imagine my panic as it started to come out in a steamy bath - shoot, all I could think of was the urban myths I'd heard - was it spider eggs, or something worse?

Utter joy when it was completely benign - the relief was massive. Serves me right for actually listening to all that guff

>>Unfortunately, I landed on my side & had an ear of barley in my ear <<

Hopefully no long term damage to the ear (yours not the barleys)!
Are there any precautions needed to protect the ears from the
pressure changes during the jump - e.g. lots of swallowing?

I did a perfect landing. I was proud of that.

Heavy Sleeting,

good work - not one of my landings were perfect. In fact I was very lucky not to do myself some serious damage on a couple of occassions.

Tarantoes,

no, no specific ear protection used, but I managed to crack a helmet clean up the middle on one landing, & yes, I did see stars for a while after that. Not good.

Luckily, there was no lasting damage to my ear, unlike the sheafs of barley I flattened

ISA: Good and pleased the helmet did it's job!
ps landing in one piece sounds sufficiently perfect to me.

HS / aka effers: Well done with the text book landing. I've never
had a parachute jump before but I'm told the "ground rushes up to
meet you suddenly" very quickly - and takes many by surprise -
perhaps even ISA(?)

I suppose when you jump you see the curvature of the Earth below
you? I wonder whether you would have a "fish bowl" type of view -
like the view a fish has of the world above its own watery one (but
in reverse).

The results of the English cricket team - in fact its getting boring..

Laser eye surgery

That thing about the Icelandic ponies' gaits might be the answer to another puzzle. When I was in Iceland and reading about (and reading) the sagas, there was often mention of people "hand-running". The historians said this appeared to be the equivalent of turning cartwheels, which seems a strange way of travelling, (especially if you are carrying anything, I should think). But it could be because it is safer to have two "feet" on the ground at once instead of normal walking, whereby you only have one foot on the ground at a time.

Yeah - Iceland - hot water pools, wellington boots melting in the sulphuric water (not mine - it happened to a Scotsman in our group) - sandwiches crunchy with black lava dust. Not having to wash because you just aren't dirty. Sitting round chatting outside the tents and realising it's 2 am.

Loads of hops suddenly appearing on my wild hop plant I planted earlier this year.

I had worried it was a male plant, (the species is dioecious), and I wasn't going to get any.

Have you tried steaming the shoots and eating them with melted butter?

No. What do you mean the actual hops?

No. The shoots. GIYF.