:-(

Daniel is dead. I lost a friend and a former team mate.

He died on a base jump last monday. He was living dangerously and he knew it. He was warned about it, he sure was a lunatic, and all that. But he was also a great guy, and he was my friend. Last time we talked, he asked me to do a base with him (like he always did), and I turned down the offer (like I always did). Ciao Glou-glou, blue skies to you. Like many others, I'll miss you!

In 2008 I made 222 jumps at my home DZ. 77 of those were instruction jumps. That means I am in the top 3 on jump numbers as well as on AFF jumps. Including the couple of days I jumped in Zwartberg, that brings me on something like 90 AFF jumps. Not bad for a weekender, but I was aiming at 100. Well, I'll try again this year. 250 jumps, with a 100 AFF would be nice for 2009.

And I made my first jumps of this new year: a tracking jump, a solo sitfly, and a 2-way sit. The jumps were great. It was very cold. The beer was good.