Hump Day

As I write this, I can hear the sleet hitting the windows.  Our beautiful weather days are over for a little while, as February finally shows its teeth.  I can see the glops of snow coming down, hear the freezing rain pinging off the windows; we finished our duties for the day and are home with warm socks, a fuzzy blanket, and a hot cup of coffee.  It's good.

First up this morning, Steve and I met with attorneys on behalf of the city, who will be defending against a lawsuit brought by the family of Dan G., the Cheyenne recurrent trainer who was killed in the Aerostar out of Kokomo.  We talked to them for about 2.5 hours in total.  We mostly just reiterated the facts and timeline that I'd already told the FAA/NTSB.   The lead attorney is also a pilot.  What's funny is that he is also airplane co-owners and friends with the guy who gave me my multi-engine checkride, which was the most awful checkride I ever did, lasting about 8 hours, which is ridiculous for an initial multi.  He was a total jerk, I mean, a serious jerk.  When I was worn down from hours of questioning, he asked another, I said "I don't know.  I'm tired."  And he SMIRKED at me and said "I know" in a tone of voice...I felt the fuse pop in my head, and I snapped at him, "Pass me or fail me, right now.  I'm done."  He chirps up with "Let's go fly!" and he was real nice the rest of the time, but by then I was angry, and I stayed angry.  I wasn't done being angry even after he complimented my flying, even after he handed me my certificate and wanted to shake my hand.  I flew home in the dark, and I'd started the checkride in the morning, and I was angry all the way home.  That guy was...I later learned he had a nickname that included the word "Flunkin'" because he was so rough and failed so many people, he was known for it.  He wasn't able to fail me, but he sure decided to try to put me in my place.  He couldn't do it on the flying, but he could on the oral.  Orals always have been my weakness.  Worst checkride ever.  Anyway, so I'm automatically suspicious of anyone who is a friend of his.  And this friend is also a lawyer.  Now I REALLY don't trust him.  ;)  But he actually seemed decent enough to us, and our time together wasn't painful at all.   I'll bet he's no fun to cross, though.  I don't know what's next on the list.  The suit has to be filed, then I hope they just depose us and don't make us show up as witnesses for the trial.  I don't want any part of this.

Steve and I missed lunch for all this, so we went on our own to Grindstone's after everyone else had left.  Went to Panera to pick up some soup for Ann, went to the post office to mail some cards and pick up our mail, filled up the Jeep before the weather goes down here, and came home to work on paperwork, get out the trash for tomorrow's pick-up, you know, typical house and work stuff.

I think I'm going to take today off of walking.  I got it in yesterday even though I hadn't slept well and was tired.  But today I'm dragging even more.  So I'll have a salad for dinner, make sure I don't overeat, and pick up the walking again tomorrow.  I'm a little wiped out.

Today Kirk Douglas died on the day that President Trump was acquitted by the Senate.  I think Kirk was 103 years old.  That's quite a run!  It's been a history-filled action-packed couple of days.  State of the Union address, Impeachment and Acquittal, etc.  I'm soooo dreading the upcoming election, ads, vitriol, inundation of political...crap.   What a mess...what a total mess this all is...

On that cheery note, it's 7:15 and I have a salad to go eat for dinner and some TV to watch as the snow keeps spitting down.  Stay warm out there, wherever you are!