I tried a different "dinner delivery" service. They ship you the ingredients you need, but it's a more simple meal than the other one, which was good, but almost gourmet, and took way too long to do. This was peas and chicken and mashed potatoes, but it had a good sauce, was low calorie but still tasted good. The only negative is that it said it would take 20-30 minutes. It didn't. I mean, they give you potatoes you have to peel, cut, boil, mash, etc. and that's one thing that takes 30 minutes or more all by itself. But it WAS pretty good. And I do like the low calorie but tasty along with them just sending me a box of all my fresh ingredients. Even fresh garlic and fresh ginger. The biggest problem with them is that they send three meals per week, every week. I had a coupon for $20 off a box for two boxes, so I got the two boxes at the discounted rate then shut it off. So I'll need to cook 5 more meals in the next couple weeks. We'll see how hard they are. Cost-wise, they're also only $4.99 per serving, plus shipping. So it's not bad. I won't have time to home cook all the time, but now and then it's nice to have it sent to me so I can fix something tasty and healthy.
This was the quote in my email today, made me smile, because I completely agree.
"Happiness? The color of it must be spring green."
~Frances Mayes,
professor, writer and "Under the Tuscan Sun" memoirist
This Saturday I have CAF groundschool training in Wisconsin. I'm flying up with Dennis in his RV-7, and then we do PT-26 training in the morning, break for lunch, have T-6 training in the afternoon, fly home that evening. Long day. Before I went, I had to do a 3 hour online training course and take a test online. Well, it didn't take me three hours to do the online thing, and I got a 100% on the quiz, so I'm all good. I printed off my completion certificate, and as long as they let me just be quiet and observe most of the time there in a group of people I don't know yet, I'll be in good shape as far as finishing up the CAF's requirements. There is also a flight review requirement, but I'm not due for that until Fall. So, that was progress today anyway.
Last week I turned my long winter coat in for cleaning and repair, sewing up the pockets. I went to pick it up today, a week later, and the coat had been cleaned, but the pockets weren't fixed, so I had to leave it there again. I hope it doesn't take another week. I also hope I don't need a long winter coat any more. ;)
Tomorrow morning I have to go to another doctor's office, this time for them to take a sample for biopsy of a or the fibroid(s). So that should be fun.
I'm hoping to fly the Champ tomorrow and get tailwheel current and test fly it. Not sure if the weather will allow, but we'll see. Jordan tried to call me tonight, I tried to call him right back, he texted and said he was sitting down to eat and would call back, and 2.5 hours later I haven't heard from him. I was hoping he was calling to get me down there to go flying the Twin Beech soon, of which I need 25 hours and needed it months ago. He went with a couple other people I know and got his FAST card out in California. He was supposed to help me with that too. He was also supposed to get me checked out in the C-47. I've actually emailed and harassed him more than I ever have anyone, something I can't stand doing. So far, he's a great guy, but actually following up on any of his promises...not so much. I'll hope he does eventually. He's taking the C-47 across the ocean to a big event there, and I'm kinda jealous about the whole thing. I feel twitchy, like opportunities are passing me by and time is passing too fast. Except I'm not really thrilled about flying over an ocean in an old warbird, honestly. Even one with Two engines. Lol
But I do need to progress on something soon.
Showing posts with label Quotes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quotes. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Tuesday, April 04, 2017
Baroning
Somehow I set my alarm last night for the time I needed to be leaving the house--6:40 am--instead of the time I needed to get up--5:45 a.m. Fortunately (?) for me, I had a crappy night's sleep, kept waking up, tossing and turning. So I looked at the clock at 5:10 am, and then when a lot of time seemed to have passed and my alarm didn't go off, I looked again and it was almost 5:50 a.m. Thank goodness I have an internal alarm clock!
The weather wasn't good enough at 7 am for us to go over, being IFR. So we waited around until 8:30, and then I had him file IFR anyway. We went over to the Springfield area first, shot an RNAV approach in, broke out very high. We were there to pick up a C-182. He inspected the plane, looked over the logbooks, we were there about an hour doing all that, and then they went to do the paperwork, he handed the guy a check, and the guy said "Oh, I can't let it go for that." A says "That's what you agreed to, right?" The old fellow says "Yes, but that was before I put another $5,000 into the plane. I need more." So rather than renegotiate ahead of time, he just waited until three people flew over from an hour and 45 minutes away and spent an hour there with him before refusing to honor the deal he'd already made. Not cool, man. So that deal fell through when our people refused to bump up the price anymore on principal.
So next we went IFR over to Danville. This is where I was to pick up a Baron 58. I was a little on the twitchy side doing a ferry job. The airplane was out of annual, and was on a ferry permit. The weather was marginal VFR all day. Ferry jobs are often less than above board. But when we got there, the airplane was in great shape. The former owner was a veteran pilot, had a ton of experiences in Greenland, Iceland, all sorts of stuff. He took us to the warbird restoration shop on field and showed us a Messerschmidt that they were in the process of restoring, including a panel that had a bullet hole in it. It had been pulled out of a lake and was being restored, and is pretty cool. We listened to this fellows stories for hours. He was too nice and too full of information and history to rush. He was also a devoted Trump fan and hard core conservative who posted giant Trump signs on his property facing the main street of town, along with two flags, and every time someone puts graffiti on it or tears it down, he puts it back up. One of the neighbors of that field told him they don't agree with his politics but they do agree with his right to display his own sign on his own property without being threatened, so they help him by putting it back up for him when they see it knocked over.
He gave me a couple pointers on his airplane, which I appreciated. When it was time to go, he crawled up on the wing next to me, and asked "Why don't I read the checklist for you?" I said "Sure!" So he'd read an item: "Seatbelts" and I'd say back "Secure". Etc. All the way through. I think he liked that. When I got the left engine started within a blade or two, he sighed and said "You have it from here" and stepped down. I know he's going to miss it. Fortunately for him he also has a Bonanza and a Super Decathlon to keep him continued company. :) It was a really nice plane though. Older panel, but the plane itself is solid. I enjoyed the flight home in it, even if it was down at pattern altitude.
The whole day only worked out because of the low weather though. I was supposed to be back by 1 pm, then fly from 1-3, 3-5, and 5-7. The clouds were too low to fly 1-3 and 3-5, and the 5-7 was Kaylee and she ended up with other plans. So I didn't make as much money today doing this ferry job as I do on a MBros flight, but I made more than I would have if I'd been home not instructing. ;)
Saw this quote today and it made me laugh. It's so true, and so me, except I don't usually say it out loud, I usually stomp type it out on my keyboard.
Speak when you are angry--and you will make the best speech you'll ever regret.
--Laurence J. Peter
The weather wasn't good enough at 7 am for us to go over, being IFR. So we waited around until 8:30, and then I had him file IFR anyway. We went over to the Springfield area first, shot an RNAV approach in, broke out very high. We were there to pick up a C-182. He inspected the plane, looked over the logbooks, we were there about an hour doing all that, and then they went to do the paperwork, he handed the guy a check, and the guy said "Oh, I can't let it go for that." A says "That's what you agreed to, right?" The old fellow says "Yes, but that was before I put another $5,000 into the plane. I need more." So rather than renegotiate ahead of time, he just waited until three people flew over from an hour and 45 minutes away and spent an hour there with him before refusing to honor the deal he'd already made. Not cool, man. So that deal fell through when our people refused to bump up the price anymore on principal.
So next we went IFR over to Danville. This is where I was to pick up a Baron 58. I was a little on the twitchy side doing a ferry job. The airplane was out of annual, and was on a ferry permit. The weather was marginal VFR all day. Ferry jobs are often less than above board. But when we got there, the airplane was in great shape. The former owner was a veteran pilot, had a ton of experiences in Greenland, Iceland, all sorts of stuff. He took us to the warbird restoration shop on field and showed us a Messerschmidt that they were in the process of restoring, including a panel that had a bullet hole in it. It had been pulled out of a lake and was being restored, and is pretty cool. We listened to this fellows stories for hours. He was too nice and too full of information and history to rush. He was also a devoted Trump fan and hard core conservative who posted giant Trump signs on his property facing the main street of town, along with two flags, and every time someone puts graffiti on it or tears it down, he puts it back up. One of the neighbors of that field told him they don't agree with his politics but they do agree with his right to display his own sign on his own property without being threatened, so they help him by putting it back up for him when they see it knocked over.
He gave me a couple pointers on his airplane, which I appreciated. When it was time to go, he crawled up on the wing next to me, and asked "Why don't I read the checklist for you?" I said "Sure!" So he'd read an item: "Seatbelts" and I'd say back "Secure". Etc. All the way through. I think he liked that. When I got the left engine started within a blade or two, he sighed and said "You have it from here" and stepped down. I know he's going to miss it. Fortunately for him he also has a Bonanza and a Super Decathlon to keep him continued company. :) It was a really nice plane though. Older panel, but the plane itself is solid. I enjoyed the flight home in it, even if it was down at pattern altitude.
The whole day only worked out because of the low weather though. I was supposed to be back by 1 pm, then fly from 1-3, 3-5, and 5-7. The clouds were too low to fly 1-3 and 3-5, and the 5-7 was Kaylee and she ended up with other plans. So I didn't make as much money today doing this ferry job as I do on a MBros flight, but I made more than I would have if I'd been home not instructing. ;)
Saw this quote today and it made me laugh. It's so true, and so me, except I don't usually say it out loud, I usually stomp type it out on my keyboard.
Speak when you are angry--and you will make the best speech you'll ever regret.
--Laurence J. Peter
View on top from the C-210
Messerschmidt wing
Bullet hole...
View out of the Baron 58 on the way home.
Isn't that a pretty airplane? I like Barons. :)
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Fed Up
So this post will have nothing to do with Kaylee (I have no idea how she's doing but I assume she's having a blast and will probably not want to come home), or flying (I didn't do any today). It's not even going to be about politics, although it's getting really close now that I saw that Warner Bros is taking the "Confederate flag" off of the General Lee car from the Dukes of Hazard, that Amazon will sell you Nazi materials but not the Confederate flag, and now Apple is banning Civil War games on their app store because of the flag. Nope. I'm just going to talk about health/fitness/weight loss, and feel free to skip it.
I gave a bath to my FitBit today, in the washing machine. I have the simplest, cheapest version of the Fitbit, and even that isn't cheap, it was like $50. It doesn't track your sleep or do anything else fancy, but I don't need something to track my sleep, I need it to tell me how much I've walked and I'm interested in how many calories that burns off. I think it's neat that it calibrates and goes directly to my iPhone, where it transfers into MyFitnessPal app and calculates what I've eaten with what I've moved and where I stand. I don't have to have it, but I think it makes for an interesting tool that helps keep somebody like me better on track. When I quit paying attention to what I'm doing, bad things creep back into my habits. The Fitbit and the food app together work to make me remember to pay attention, if nothing else. In the last couple of months, I've worn the FitBit but not paid a lot of attention to it. I've not plugged food into MyFitnessPal (MFP). And I got content with just staying under what I call my Red Line, which in flying is Vne or a "Never Exceed" speed. That means I put back on about 4 pounds from my lowest, but stopped it there. Every time I'd go to go back down, though, I'd get below Red Line and just relax, a special occasion would come up, there would be a big cookout, we'd eat out several nights in a row, something, and I'd go right back to Red Line. So in the last few days I decided I needed to move my Red Line down. I started working on that about two days ago, and then last night we went to Outback, of course! I'm okay with it though, I compensated by upping my exercise yesterday and today, avoiding the appetizers, sticking to one small piece of bread, getting vegetables instead of potatoes, that kind of stuff, and I still Really enjoyed my steak and little bit of dessert and such. So after lunch I was just starting my hike on the treadmill, watching a show on my iPad, when I reached down to tap my FitBit and see where I was starting, when I realized it wasn't there, which means it was still on my other pants, which...crap, were in the washing machine Right Now. I hopped off the treadmill and ran into the other room, and had to fish around to find my pants, only to find that it was still there. And working. It's still working! It soaked in a full washing machine for quite awhile, and I'm not sure how it didn't get fried, but I'll take it. It is smiling at me right now as I've crossed 10,000 steps today. I'm pleased on both accounts. :)
The whole thing, along with my 1-year-anniversary going by, and a walk I made last night, made me reflect a little on the last year as far as health/fitness goes. When I decided to go down to the park last night, it was something I didn't used to do a lot of. The park is at the bottom of a steep hill, one that is fun to go down, and was Not so fun to go back up. I would trudge up that hill, and by the time I got to the top, my heart would be pounding in my chest, my lungs would be constricted, and I'd have trouble getting the rest of the way home which was also slightly up hill. And it's not far, folks. Last night I walked down to the park, stood and enjoyed the music, then powered up the hill and was back in the door, with barely an elevated pulse rate, and I recognized and enjoyed the progress. Not numbers on a scale, but an appreciable difference in performance and capability, and nothing feels better than feeling stronger and more capable, in anything.
More than a year ago, I saw a woman refer to herself as "The Three F's." I asked what that was, and she said "Forty, Fat and Frumpy." Apparently that's a relatively well-known saying that had passed me by, but I thought, man. Not too much later, when I stepped on the scale at the medical examiners office and saw the number, I decided it was 4 F's, and the fourth one was Fed Up. That day I didn't know what TO do but I knew a little of what NOT to do, and when I stopped at McDonald's on my way home I got a small burger and no fries and unsweet tea and tried to figure out how I was going to change this. The switch flipped, I was done. And it was actually fairly easy, I have to admit. You have to think about it, but when you want it and you're focused on it, it's not that hard. The last couple months though, is when things got harder, because I (and presumably plenty of others) fall into the "good enough" syndrome. It's not a crisis any more. The emergency is over. I can relax. Except...the journey wasn't done and I stopped early. So...I need to finish, and instead of being satisfied with not crossing a red line, I need to just get to where I need to be. That's not a number. Red line is a number, but not that, that's a fitness level, a visual thing, a health thing. So I'm kicking back in and working a little more. Not sure it'll be anything anybody else would notice visually, but I'll know, and that's what matters. :)
So that's my health ramblings for the day. There are two sayings I've seen on Facebook that also sort of helped me kick start last year. The hardest part about doing anything is deciding to do it and actually taking the first steps. That is a big hurdle, and once you cross it, the rest is better. These quotes kind of hit me in the head with the logic, and that was enough...
"Never give up on a goal because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway."
and
"The time will pass anyway. You can either spend it creating the life you want, or spend it living the life you don't want. The choice is yours."
I gave a bath to my FitBit today, in the washing machine. I have the simplest, cheapest version of the Fitbit, and even that isn't cheap, it was like $50. It doesn't track your sleep or do anything else fancy, but I don't need something to track my sleep, I need it to tell me how much I've walked and I'm interested in how many calories that burns off. I think it's neat that it calibrates and goes directly to my iPhone, where it transfers into MyFitnessPal app and calculates what I've eaten with what I've moved and where I stand. I don't have to have it, but I think it makes for an interesting tool that helps keep somebody like me better on track. When I quit paying attention to what I'm doing, bad things creep back into my habits. The Fitbit and the food app together work to make me remember to pay attention, if nothing else. In the last couple of months, I've worn the FitBit but not paid a lot of attention to it. I've not plugged food into MyFitnessPal (MFP). And I got content with just staying under what I call my Red Line, which in flying is Vne or a "Never Exceed" speed. That means I put back on about 4 pounds from my lowest, but stopped it there. Every time I'd go to go back down, though, I'd get below Red Line and just relax, a special occasion would come up, there would be a big cookout, we'd eat out several nights in a row, something, and I'd go right back to Red Line. So in the last few days I decided I needed to move my Red Line down. I started working on that about two days ago, and then last night we went to Outback, of course! I'm okay with it though, I compensated by upping my exercise yesterday and today, avoiding the appetizers, sticking to one small piece of bread, getting vegetables instead of potatoes, that kind of stuff, and I still Really enjoyed my steak and little bit of dessert and such. So after lunch I was just starting my hike on the treadmill, watching a show on my iPad, when I reached down to tap my FitBit and see where I was starting, when I realized it wasn't there, which means it was still on my other pants, which...crap, were in the washing machine Right Now. I hopped off the treadmill and ran into the other room, and had to fish around to find my pants, only to find that it was still there. And working. It's still working! It soaked in a full washing machine for quite awhile, and I'm not sure how it didn't get fried, but I'll take it. It is smiling at me right now as I've crossed 10,000 steps today. I'm pleased on both accounts. :)
The whole thing, along with my 1-year-anniversary going by, and a walk I made last night, made me reflect a little on the last year as far as health/fitness goes. When I decided to go down to the park last night, it was something I didn't used to do a lot of. The park is at the bottom of a steep hill, one that is fun to go down, and was Not so fun to go back up. I would trudge up that hill, and by the time I got to the top, my heart would be pounding in my chest, my lungs would be constricted, and I'd have trouble getting the rest of the way home which was also slightly up hill. And it's not far, folks. Last night I walked down to the park, stood and enjoyed the music, then powered up the hill and was back in the door, with barely an elevated pulse rate, and I recognized and enjoyed the progress. Not numbers on a scale, but an appreciable difference in performance and capability, and nothing feels better than feeling stronger and more capable, in anything.
More than a year ago, I saw a woman refer to herself as "The Three F's." I asked what that was, and she said "Forty, Fat and Frumpy." Apparently that's a relatively well-known saying that had passed me by, but I thought, man. Not too much later, when I stepped on the scale at the medical examiners office and saw the number, I decided it was 4 F's, and the fourth one was Fed Up. That day I didn't know what TO do but I knew a little of what NOT to do, and when I stopped at McDonald's on my way home I got a small burger and no fries and unsweet tea and tried to figure out how I was going to change this. The switch flipped, I was done. And it was actually fairly easy, I have to admit. You have to think about it, but when you want it and you're focused on it, it's not that hard. The last couple months though, is when things got harder, because I (and presumably plenty of others) fall into the "good enough" syndrome. It's not a crisis any more. The emergency is over. I can relax. Except...the journey wasn't done and I stopped early. So...I need to finish, and instead of being satisfied with not crossing a red line, I need to just get to where I need to be. That's not a number. Red line is a number, but not that, that's a fitness level, a visual thing, a health thing. So I'm kicking back in and working a little more. Not sure it'll be anything anybody else would notice visually, but I'll know, and that's what matters. :)
So that's my health ramblings for the day. There are two sayings I've seen on Facebook that also sort of helped me kick start last year. The hardest part about doing anything is deciding to do it and actually taking the first steps. That is a big hurdle, and once you cross it, the rest is better. These quotes kind of hit me in the head with the logic, and that was enough...
"Never give up on a goal because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway."
and
"The time will pass anyway. You can either spend it creating the life you want, or spend it living the life you don't want. The choice is yours."
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Saturday Part II
So, you might want to skip this one as it's pretty much only interesting to me. Of course the one from earlier today isn't any better. Sorry. :D
I took a big 60 question personality quiz, and this time I tried to answer only as I am NOW, not as I used to be. That was a little tough in a couple of areas, I had to stop and think a few times. It came up pretty clearly with ISTP. Introverted (no joke), Sensing (observant, practical), Thinking (tough, follow their minds, rational), and Prospecting (keeps options open, relaxed, reluctant to commit, seek freedom).
The first paragraph of it says: "People with the ISTP personality type form around 5% of the population and possess many interesting traits that can easily baffle outsiders. They are usually very rational and logical, but can also surprise everybody by suddenly becoming more spontaneous and enthusiastic. While most other types tend to be easily recognizable and have clearly outlined traits, this is definitely not the case with ISTPs – even people who know them well may not be able to anticipate their reaction to something."
I thought that was kind of funny, 5% of the population is like me. But at least Harrison Ford was one of them. That works for me. ;)
I also thought the "Strengths and Weaknesses" were pretty good.
Strengths:
Optimistic. They rarely get stressed and prefer to go with the flow rather than plan their next steps. Good at dealing with crisis situations. ISTPs do not mind taking risks (this can also be a weakness) and can think on their feet, making snap decisions when necessary – crises do not really scare them. Very creative and practical. They have a vivid imagination. Relaxed. People with this personality type live in the present and often simply go with the flow, not worrying too much about the future. Despite being unpredictable, ISTP personalities are very good at conserving their energy and releasing it only when necessary. Both spontaneous and rational. They are able to combine spontaneity with logic, switching from one “mode” to another, depending on the situation. This makes them very flexible and versatile individuals.
Weaknesses:
Can be very stubborn. They can become very blunt and irritated if someone tries to criticize their habits, lifestyle or ideas. Private and reserved. ISTPs can be very difficult to get to know as they keep most of their thoughts and ideas to themselves, especially when it comes to private or sensitive matters. Get bored quickly. People with the ISTP personality type may find it difficult to remain focused on something for an extended amount of time, with their thoughts drifting off to more interesting things. May be insensitive. Enjoy taking risks. ISTP personalities are big risk takers and may often do that simply for the sake of having fun. Dislike commitments. ISTPs like to review their obligations on a daily basis instead of committing to something for a very long time.
In general, ISTPs tend to be very optimistic, generous and confident in their abilities – as long as they are not pushed into a corner, burdened with rules and guidelines, or asked to commit to something they are not yet ready for. Unique and mysterious traits of this personality type may never cease to amaze people close to them, but it is also possible that ISTPs themselves will be surprised by them every once in a while.
Well, as objective as a person can be towards themselves, which is always somewhat questionable, it seems pretty right on to me. One I kind of question is Risk taking, but not a lot. It depends on what they mean. I do enjoy activities that involve more risk than "normal" people like, and always have. That would fit the "risk to have fun" part. But I don't like gambling much. It feels like throwing money away for no good reason, and it's not that fun to me. I take risks in some areas, and in others I'm very straight-laced. I now like risks that are...mitigated? But I didn't used to care if they were mitigated or not. I was reckless and flat out did not care. Maturity, or a change in personality? Doesn't get stressed easily is true...for most things. Annoyingly so sometimes for others around me who might like me to be more concerned sometimes about some things. There are a couple of things that do get to me, but in fairness they took awhile to build up to this point where they kind of stress me out. I guess the disparities like that are part of the whole "not able to clearly define traits" thing. ;) I also wouldn't post this on a place where a lot of people I know would read it. But here, so far, I'm pretty safe. ;)
Anyway. Steve's cousin sent him a list of aviation quotes. I'd heard these before, but I like these, so I'll repost for posterity.
Pilots are people who drive airplanes for other people who can't fly.
Passengers are people who say they fly, but really just ride.
Flying is a hard way to earn an easy living.
Both optimists and pessimists contribute to society. The optimist invents the airplane; the pessimist, the parachute.
Death is just nature's way of telling you to watch your airspeed.
As a pilot only two bad things can happen to you (and one of them will):
a. One day you will walk out to the aircraft, knowing it is your last flight.
b. One day you will walk out to the aircraft, not knowing it is your last flight.
There are rules and there are laws:
The rules are made by men who think that they know how to fly your airplane better than you.
The laws (of physics) were ordained by God.
You can and sometimes should suspend the rules, but you can never suspend the laws.
About Rules:
a. The rules are a good place to hide if you don't have a better idea and the talent to execute it.
b. If you deviate from a rule, it must be a flawless performance (e.g., if you fly under a bridge, don't hit the bridge.)
He who demands everything that his aircraft can give him is a pilot; he who demands one iota more is a fool.
There are certain aircraft sounds that can only be heard at night and over the ocean. Most of them are scary.
You have to make up your mind about growing up and becoming a pilot. You can't do both.
I took a big 60 question personality quiz, and this time I tried to answer only as I am NOW, not as I used to be. That was a little tough in a couple of areas, I had to stop and think a few times. It came up pretty clearly with ISTP. Introverted (no joke), Sensing (observant, practical), Thinking (tough, follow their minds, rational), and Prospecting (keeps options open, relaxed, reluctant to commit, seek freedom).
The first paragraph of it says: "People with the ISTP personality type form around 5% of the population and possess many interesting traits that can easily baffle outsiders. They are usually very rational and logical, but can also surprise everybody by suddenly becoming more spontaneous and enthusiastic. While most other types tend to be easily recognizable and have clearly outlined traits, this is definitely not the case with ISTPs – even people who know them well may not be able to anticipate their reaction to something."
I thought that was kind of funny, 5% of the population is like me. But at least Harrison Ford was one of them. That works for me. ;)
I also thought the "Strengths and Weaknesses" were pretty good.
Strengths:
Optimistic. They rarely get stressed and prefer to go with the flow rather than plan their next steps. Good at dealing with crisis situations. ISTPs do not mind taking risks (this can also be a weakness) and can think on their feet, making snap decisions when necessary – crises do not really scare them. Very creative and practical. They have a vivid imagination. Relaxed. People with this personality type live in the present and often simply go with the flow, not worrying too much about the future. Despite being unpredictable, ISTP personalities are very good at conserving their energy and releasing it only when necessary. Both spontaneous and rational. They are able to combine spontaneity with logic, switching from one “mode” to another, depending on the situation. This makes them very flexible and versatile individuals.
Weaknesses:
Can be very stubborn. They can become very blunt and irritated if someone tries to criticize their habits, lifestyle or ideas. Private and reserved. ISTPs can be very difficult to get to know as they keep most of their thoughts and ideas to themselves, especially when it comes to private or sensitive matters. Get bored quickly. People with the ISTP personality type may find it difficult to remain focused on something for an extended amount of time, with their thoughts drifting off to more interesting things. May be insensitive. Enjoy taking risks. ISTP personalities are big risk takers and may often do that simply for the sake of having fun. Dislike commitments. ISTPs like to review their obligations on a daily basis instead of committing to something for a very long time.
In general, ISTPs tend to be very optimistic, generous and confident in their abilities – as long as they are not pushed into a corner, burdened with rules and guidelines, or asked to commit to something they are not yet ready for. Unique and mysterious traits of this personality type may never cease to amaze people close to them, but it is also possible that ISTPs themselves will be surprised by them every once in a while.
Well, as objective as a person can be towards themselves, which is always somewhat questionable, it seems pretty right on to me. One I kind of question is Risk taking, but not a lot. It depends on what they mean. I do enjoy activities that involve more risk than "normal" people like, and always have. That would fit the "risk to have fun" part. But I don't like gambling much. It feels like throwing money away for no good reason, and it's not that fun to me. I take risks in some areas, and in others I'm very straight-laced. I now like risks that are...mitigated? But I didn't used to care if they were mitigated or not. I was reckless and flat out did not care. Maturity, or a change in personality? Doesn't get stressed easily is true...for most things. Annoyingly so sometimes for others around me who might like me to be more concerned sometimes about some things. There are a couple of things that do get to me, but in fairness they took awhile to build up to this point where they kind of stress me out. I guess the disparities like that are part of the whole "not able to clearly define traits" thing. ;) I also wouldn't post this on a place where a lot of people I know would read it. But here, so far, I'm pretty safe. ;)
Anyway. Steve's cousin sent him a list of aviation quotes. I'd heard these before, but I like these, so I'll repost for posterity.
Pilots are people who drive airplanes for other people who can't fly.
Passengers are people who say they fly, but really just ride.
Flying is a hard way to earn an easy living.
Both optimists and pessimists contribute to society. The optimist invents the airplane; the pessimist, the parachute.
Death is just nature's way of telling you to watch your airspeed.
As a pilot only two bad things can happen to you (and one of them will):
a. One day you will walk out to the aircraft, knowing it is your last flight.
b. One day you will walk out to the aircraft, not knowing it is your last flight.
There are rules and there are laws:
The rules are made by men who think that they know how to fly your airplane better than you.
The laws (of physics) were ordained by God.
You can and sometimes should suspend the rules, but you can never suspend the laws.
About Rules:
a. The rules are a good place to hide if you don't have a better idea and the talent to execute it.
b. If you deviate from a rule, it must be a flawless performance (e.g., if you fly under a bridge, don't hit the bridge.)
He who demands everything that his aircraft can give him is a pilot; he who demands one iota more is a fool.
There are certain aircraft sounds that can only be heard at night and over the ocean. Most of them are scary.
You have to make up your mind about growing up and becoming a pilot. You can't do both.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
It's Hump Day
Kaylee had Taekwondo in their new facility for the first time today. She came out and talked about how much her legs hurt. They started hurting after her tennis matches yesterday, and got worse after Taekwondo. I told her that's called "Exercise", and it's good for her. ;)
I was glad to not have any flights today. I worked on some stuff around the house and put together a PowerPoint Presentation for the BBQ Bash. Tonight/tomorrow I need to work on brochures or handouts for Ann to have to give out, and then I need to look over and prepare for a pilot briefing for Saturday. Steve's going to be busy so I get to do that part.
Oh. Yesterday a pilot crashed at an airshow in China. The interesting thing about this guy is that he has been a problem pilot for a very long time. (That very biased link seems to have crashed, maybe too much activity right now or something). He buzzed the Santa Monica Pier in a L-39, scaring the pants off of a lot of people. His licenses were suspended after that, then revoked fully a few years later when he was illegally selling rides in his L-39 and an airplane he was flying formation with also giving illegal rides crashed and killed two on board. He also participated in a formation flight into the clouds with a Bonanza that clipped trees on a mountain. The guy was bad news. So he was using his Canadian pilot certificates to fly an airshow in China, because he couldn't fly in the US. He took an 18 year old Chinese kid with him, went up in the rain, against the locals' advice, and took his Lancair and tried to ski on the lake with it. With tiny little tires and a nosewheel. And crashed, killing both himself and this poor kid. And not one person is surprised. But worst of all, most of the aviation community had the exact same thing to say: "We knew it was coming, just wish he wouldn't have taken out somebody with him." or "Couldn't have happened to a better guy." or "Finally." Wow, can you imagine that being your legacy? I haven't heard one person, anywhere, have anything good to say about him as a person or a pilot. Pretty sad, really, but as I said when I passed on the news, "Well, Riggs is done flying for good, now."
Anyway, on a different topic, I enjoyed the quote from today:
"One cool judgment is worth a dozen hasty councils. The thing to do is to supply light and not heat."
-- Woodrow Wilson
And if you're a pilot, go back and listen to the video below this post again. Every time I listen to it, when VooDoo (the first plane) goes by, I feel like standing up, throwing my arms up over my head, screaming something, and then hopping in an airplane and doing something terribly aggressive. Which is why I've never been allowed to go to Reno in person...
I was glad to not have any flights today. I worked on some stuff around the house and put together a PowerPoint Presentation for the BBQ Bash. Tonight/tomorrow I need to work on brochures or handouts for Ann to have to give out, and then I need to look over and prepare for a pilot briefing for Saturday. Steve's going to be busy so I get to do that part.
Oh. Yesterday a pilot crashed at an airshow in China. The interesting thing about this guy is that he has been a problem pilot for a very long time. (That very biased link seems to have crashed, maybe too much activity right now or something). He buzzed the Santa Monica Pier in a L-39, scaring the pants off of a lot of people. His licenses were suspended after that, then revoked fully a few years later when he was illegally selling rides in his L-39 and an airplane he was flying formation with also giving illegal rides crashed and killed two on board. He also participated in a formation flight into the clouds with a Bonanza that clipped trees on a mountain. The guy was bad news. So he was using his Canadian pilot certificates to fly an airshow in China, because he couldn't fly in the US. He took an 18 year old Chinese kid with him, went up in the rain, against the locals' advice, and took his Lancair and tried to ski on the lake with it. With tiny little tires and a nosewheel. And crashed, killing both himself and this poor kid. And not one person is surprised. But worst of all, most of the aviation community had the exact same thing to say: "We knew it was coming, just wish he wouldn't have taken out somebody with him." or "Couldn't have happened to a better guy." or "Finally." Wow, can you imagine that being your legacy? I haven't heard one person, anywhere, have anything good to say about him as a person or a pilot. Pretty sad, really, but as I said when I passed on the news, "Well, Riggs is done flying for good, now."
Anyway, on a different topic, I enjoyed the quote from today:
"One cool judgment is worth a dozen hasty councils. The thing to do is to supply light and not heat."
-- Woodrow Wilson
And if you're a pilot, go back and listen to the video below this post again. Every time I listen to it, when VooDoo (the first plane) goes by, I feel like standing up, throwing my arms up over my head, screaming something, and then hopping in an airplane and doing something terribly aggressive. Which is why I've never been allowed to go to Reno in person...
Friday, August 09, 2013
Friday
I basically spent from 10 a.m. through to 6:45 p.m. with one student today, prepping for a checkride, waiting for weather, flying, doing paperwork, checking over stuff, etc. We flew for 4 hours, and by the end of it, she was exhausted and yawning non-stop, and stumbling, and I said "I think I broke you." She laughed and agreed. But this is the only time we've been able to fly for her checkride since about 3 weeks ago. We were both gone over Oshkosh, and then the weather every day this week hasn't been good enough-until this afternoon finally. We have one more flight tomorrow to see if she can remember to do it all herself--she can fly it, but she doesn't always remember everything in sequence for all the maneuvers yet. So that's what she's got to do tomorrow, and then her checkride is Sunday.
There's an aerobatics competition going on this weekend too. The weather finally let up for them, too, and there was lots of flying going on this afternoon, lots of airplanes out on the ramp. It should be a beautiful weekend for them. It kind of messes with students, and I hate to do that particularly on a checkride, but you get what you get in flying.
Speaking of aerobatics, this is Bud Granley doing a T-6 act. As best I can tell, he squeezes his eyes shut as he is performing a low level what, snap roll (?) after takeoff (?) in a T-6. Dang. You can see him checking his airspeed indicator a lot before each move. I wish I could see this from the outside as well as looking at his face and a little of the canopy behind him. Pretty impressive. I need to win the next half a billion dollar lottery so I can afford to learn and stay proficient at all the things I need (need? I suppose 'want' is the more appropriate term, though it doesn't feel like it) to yet learn/do/master. Let's see. I 'need' to be able to have Steve and I both go to Florida one cold Indiana winter weekend and do our seaplane ratings. And then go get the multi-engine seaplane rating in a Twin Beech on floats. I need to go to Alaska, find some crusty old bush pilot, and have him take me/us into and out of places that will make my heart rate go up. I need a lot of hours of gas money to work on...well, I'll just leave it with I need a lot of hours of gas money to work on stuff. Lots of different stuff. Including the below video stuff, only I'd do it higher up. ;)
And speaking of gas, part of tomorrow's plan is for me, Nathan and Steve to take up the 340 and do a little checking on fuel flows at exact power settings and altitudes. We're supposed to be getting a certain number, the data says it's getting that number, the maintenance shop said it was getting that number, but I saw a lot lower number on the way home. I'm not crazy, I was looking at it for too long to have imagined it. I'm not sure if I'm hoping to see the right numbers tomorrow, so I know there's no problem, or if I'm hoping to see the wrong numbers tomorrow, so it won't be one of those crazy things that only I saw happen and will never know why. Practically, I hope to see the right numbers. Impractically I'd like somebody else to see the wrong numbers too. lol
Kaylee was able to get together with Maggie tonight, and tomorrow night she is having a friend, Abby, over for a sleep-over. School starts the 14th, so it's good to get in some of this stuff now. She wanted to watch "Planes" again at opening night, but had company instead. Since she's already seen it once, I told her she'd survive until another night to go watch it. It IS a cute movie, and I enjoyed it too.
Oh, that reminds me, I heard an advertisement on the radio today, and a guy said he was looking for a clearance to land on "Runway thirty-nine 'Ar'." If you're gonna use pilot lingo, at least look up a real runway. I can see how the "r" can be mistaken, if you're just looking at it on a picture, but Runway thirty-nine? Ugh.
A quote attributed to Andy Rooney: "I've learned that opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss." Yup!
There's an aerobatics competition going on this weekend too. The weather finally let up for them, too, and there was lots of flying going on this afternoon, lots of airplanes out on the ramp. It should be a beautiful weekend for them. It kind of messes with students, and I hate to do that particularly on a checkride, but you get what you get in flying.
Speaking of aerobatics, this is Bud Granley doing a T-6 act. As best I can tell, he squeezes his eyes shut as he is performing a low level what, snap roll (?) after takeoff (?) in a T-6. Dang. You can see him checking his airspeed indicator a lot before each move. I wish I could see this from the outside as well as looking at his face and a little of the canopy behind him. Pretty impressive. I need to win the next half a billion dollar lottery so I can afford to learn and stay proficient at all the things I need (need? I suppose 'want' is the more appropriate term, though it doesn't feel like it) to yet learn/do/master. Let's see. I 'need' to be able to have Steve and I both go to Florida one cold Indiana winter weekend and do our seaplane ratings. And then go get the multi-engine seaplane rating in a Twin Beech on floats. I need to go to Alaska, find some crusty old bush pilot, and have him take me/us into and out of places that will make my heart rate go up. I need a lot of hours of gas money to work on...well, I'll just leave it with I need a lot of hours of gas money to work on stuff. Lots of different stuff. Including the below video stuff, only I'd do it higher up. ;)
And speaking of gas, part of tomorrow's plan is for me, Nathan and Steve to take up the 340 and do a little checking on fuel flows at exact power settings and altitudes. We're supposed to be getting a certain number, the data says it's getting that number, the maintenance shop said it was getting that number, but I saw a lot lower number on the way home. I'm not crazy, I was looking at it for too long to have imagined it. I'm not sure if I'm hoping to see the right numbers tomorrow, so I know there's no problem, or if I'm hoping to see the wrong numbers tomorrow, so it won't be one of those crazy things that only I saw happen and will never know why. Practically, I hope to see the right numbers. Impractically I'd like somebody else to see the wrong numbers too. lol
Kaylee was able to get together with Maggie tonight, and tomorrow night she is having a friend, Abby, over for a sleep-over. School starts the 14th, so it's good to get in some of this stuff now. She wanted to watch "Planes" again at opening night, but had company instead. Since she's already seen it once, I told her she'd survive until another night to go watch it. It IS a cute movie, and I enjoyed it too.
Oh, that reminds me, I heard an advertisement on the radio today, and a guy said he was looking for a clearance to land on "Runway thirty-nine 'Ar'." If you're gonna use pilot lingo, at least look up a real runway. I can see how the "r" can be mistaken, if you're just looking at it on a picture, but Runway thirty-nine? Ugh.
A quote attributed to Andy Rooney: "I've learned that opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss." Yup!
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Abyss
One short flight for .8 was all that happened today. It was beautiful right up to my 5 p.m. flight, which was canceled for thunderstorms rolling through right then. I sat in my house with the TV and music and computer off and just listened to the rain and the storm for awhile.
Kaylee went off swimming with a school friend today. I was up flying when she tried to call me, and then she sent me a text that said "Answer your phone! I need to talk to you about going swimming with A...!" She then left me a very nice voicemail telling me about it and asking politely. Which was much better. ;) I told her later I was up flying and she'd have to learn to keep her britches on with some of this last-minute stuff, but that we'd be happy to work with her when we could. But she did finally get hold of her dad, and they set it up, and I haven't seen her since. It's kind of neat that she can be 12 and kind of free and off on adventures of her own.
I caught up on Hannibal this afternoon, the NBC show. It's pretty dark and twisty. I find myself interested and repelled at the same time. I don't know for sure where they're going yet, but it sure seems like they are headed towards what Nietzsche warned about: "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you." One of the main characters, Will, is likely to come to that precipice soon. Haven't some of you felt the abyss gazing back at you at some point? Or maybe most of you are smart enough to not stare into it in the first place. ;)
There's a new push for the FAA to charge several thousand dollars to every person who applies for a waiver. Waivers are how you are allowed to put on an airshow. Charging thousands of dollars to do that would likely effect the end of small town airshows--like ours--that are volunteer driven and on shoestring budgets. Just what we need on top of "sequestration" malarkey and the FAA charging the EAA half a million dollars for controllers for Oshkosh's fly-in. Are we trying really hard to turn our GA (General Aviation) world into one matching Europe's? Or China's? Or most any other country's? Google it and see how well they're doing on it. Why can people not see how it's going to end down this path? Ugh. Part of me is glad that it'll take long enough to get to where we can't take off on a grass strip in a no-radio Cub without a fee and a flight plan informing the government of what we're doing that it won't affect me for long. But my daughter...she may have to deal with it...
Kaylee went off swimming with a school friend today. I was up flying when she tried to call me, and then she sent me a text that said "Answer your phone! I need to talk to you about going swimming with A...!" She then left me a very nice voicemail telling me about it and asking politely. Which was much better. ;) I told her later I was up flying and she'd have to learn to keep her britches on with some of this last-minute stuff, but that we'd be happy to work with her when we could. But she did finally get hold of her dad, and they set it up, and I haven't seen her since. It's kind of neat that she can be 12 and kind of free and off on adventures of her own.
I caught up on Hannibal this afternoon, the NBC show. It's pretty dark and twisty. I find myself interested and repelled at the same time. I don't know for sure where they're going yet, but it sure seems like they are headed towards what Nietzsche warned about: "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you." One of the main characters, Will, is likely to come to that precipice soon. Haven't some of you felt the abyss gazing back at you at some point? Or maybe most of you are smart enough to not stare into it in the first place. ;)
There's a new push for the FAA to charge several thousand dollars to every person who applies for a waiver. Waivers are how you are allowed to put on an airshow. Charging thousands of dollars to do that would likely effect the end of small town airshows--like ours--that are volunteer driven and on shoestring budgets. Just what we need on top of "sequestration" malarkey and the FAA charging the EAA half a million dollars for controllers for Oshkosh's fly-in. Are we trying really hard to turn our GA (General Aviation) world into one matching Europe's? Or China's? Or most any other country's? Google it and see how well they're doing on it. Why can people not see how it's going to end down this path? Ugh. Part of me is glad that it'll take long enough to get to where we can't take off on a grass strip in a no-radio Cub without a fee and a flight plan informing the government of what we're doing that it won't affect me for long. But my daughter...she may have to deal with it...
Monday, June 10, 2013
Yep, It's Monday!
The weather last night didn't look too promising for this morning, so I kind of thought I'd have the morning off. I was wrong. My alarm went off at 6:15 a.m., and it was just fine outside. So, I got up, got ready, and drove out to Kokomo. The airplane was out of gas, so we call the gas truck, which came out and spent 15 minutes trying to pump, unsuccessfully. He took it back, got the other truck that doesn't stay running very well, and finally got us topped off. We get in the plane, fire up, and as we are taxiing out to the runway, I look up, and there is a low layer of scud moving in. AWOS says "900 overcast". Gah. Looking at it, it's not a broken layer of stuff going through quickly, it's a whole thick area, and now we can't launch as it's legally IFR. So we taxi back and put the plane away and I bring home breakfast for the family. My next flight had a doctor's appointment and canceled. Shortly after that my after-lunch appointment canceled due to a headache. Okay, I'm down to one flight now, at 5 p.m. Then right before lunch, the student who had gotten weathered out saw the opening and rescheduled for 1:30. The weather cleared up and I got those two flights in. The second flight of the day, that plane was also out of gas. That's just one of those days, but at least we got two flights in. I've got several young folks who are all climbing up on soloing fast, at the same time. Pretty cool!
Kaylee is learning a new "Form" in Tae Kwon Do, moving forward and doing well. She texted both Steve and I today saying "You DO remember I have TKD tonight, right? Who is taking me?" When I told her that it was her dad, she later texted him to remind him again not to be late. She also did the dishes without being asked, which I don't expect to happen again, and only happened this time because she was out of clean spoons, but she is doing a good job being a responsible young lady. :)
This article is long, but the title is "A Nation of Wimps", and this is the short version, with the full article at the link. I thought it was pretty good, even if it was a bit long to read.
No one doubts that there are significant economic forces pushing parents to invest so heavily in their children's outcome from an early age. But taking all the discomfort, disappointment and even the play out of development, especially while increasing pressure for success, turns out to be misguided by just about 180 degrees. With few challenges all their own, kids are unable to forge their creative adaptations to the normal vicissitudes of life. That not only makes them risk-averse, it makes them psychologically fragile, riddled with anxiety. In the process they're robbed of identity, meaning and a sense of accomplishment, to say nothing of a shot at real happiness. Forget, too, about perseverance, not simply a moral virtue but a necessary life skill. These turn out to be the spreading psychic fault lines of 21st-century youth. Whether we want to or not, we're on our way to creating a nation of wimps.
Guess I'd better get back to laundry and other productive things. Tomorrow morning I get to sleep in a bit, as long as nobody schedules me at the last minute for 7:30 a.m. again. ;)
Today's quote of the day, something I've said for a long time, but a refresher is always good:
The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.
~William James, American psychologist
Kaylee is learning a new "Form" in Tae Kwon Do, moving forward and doing well. She texted both Steve and I today saying "You DO remember I have TKD tonight, right? Who is taking me?" When I told her that it was her dad, she later texted him to remind him again not to be late. She also did the dishes without being asked, which I don't expect to happen again, and only happened this time because she was out of clean spoons, but she is doing a good job being a responsible young lady. :)
This article is long, but the title is "A Nation of Wimps", and this is the short version, with the full article at the link. I thought it was pretty good, even if it was a bit long to read.
No one doubts that there are significant economic forces pushing parents to invest so heavily in their children's outcome from an early age. But taking all the discomfort, disappointment and even the play out of development, especially while increasing pressure for success, turns out to be misguided by just about 180 degrees. With few challenges all their own, kids are unable to forge their creative adaptations to the normal vicissitudes of life. That not only makes them risk-averse, it makes them psychologically fragile, riddled with anxiety. In the process they're robbed of identity, meaning and a sense of accomplishment, to say nothing of a shot at real happiness. Forget, too, about perseverance, not simply a moral virtue but a necessary life skill. These turn out to be the spreading psychic fault lines of 21st-century youth. Whether we want to or not, we're on our way to creating a nation of wimps.
Guess I'd better get back to laundry and other productive things. Tomorrow morning I get to sleep in a bit, as long as nobody schedules me at the last minute for 7:30 a.m. again. ;)
Today's quote of the day, something I've said for a long time, but a refresher is always good:
The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.
~William James, American psychologist
Tuesday, June 04, 2013
Round and Round
It's kind of hard to have much interesting to say when you spend entire days in a row in the pattern in a 172. :) Got another student who just "clicked in" on the flare, and solo won't be too far in the future for him, once he gets more consistent and confident. I had four flights today, from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., all of them in the pattern. I looked it up and I had something like 12 hours of actual pattern flying since yesterday, which is sort of impressive. In between a couple of the flights I ran Kaylee home some lunch, filled up my car with gas, got myself some dinner, and otherwise was out at the airport. Steve's been swamped with airshow and computer issues still, which is why I took his two students today as well.
I saw a quote the other day that said "Rudeness is the weak person's imitation of strength." I thought that was a nice, succinct way to characterize those who compensate for their own lack of self confidence by going too far. Most of the time those folks end up backing down poste haste when confronted. It doesn't fit the bill for every person who acts rudely, but there is certainly a subset of rude folks for whom it's dead on...
Anyway. Too tired to talk about pilots being detained without explanation or cause, or anything else, either. G'night!
I saw a quote the other day that said "Rudeness is the weak person's imitation of strength." I thought that was a nice, succinct way to characterize those who compensate for their own lack of self confidence by going too far. Most of the time those folks end up backing down poste haste when confronted. It doesn't fit the bill for every person who acts rudely, but there is certainly a subset of rude folks for whom it's dead on...
Anyway. Too tired to talk about pilots being detained without explanation or cause, or anything else, either. G'night!
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Loaded
Why is it sleet/snow/raining the week before May?? Good grief. No flying, which I don't say because any of you care, but because when I'm scanning through here looking to fill in my logbook, I don't have to read the whole thing only to find out there's nothing to log for today.
I got my lifetime gun carry permit in the mail today. It's a badly printed wallet-sized piece of thin pink paper that says it will be revoked if I do not remain, and I quote, a "Proper person". Capital P and all. So what does that mean? No passing gas in public? Steve's fingerprinting session was before mine, but my permit got here first. I'm sure there is a perfectly good explanation for that. ;) I'm going to go get it laminated so the paper doesn't dissolve within the next few months, but I'm just glad to have gotten it done and in prior to what will likely someday be a situation where future lifetime permits are no longer available/allowed. I actually first need to go do some work with a firearm. It's been awhile, my eyes have changed a fair amount, etc. That's on the list of Things To Get Done...
Speaking of guns, I was driving down the road and saw the below sticker on the pickup in front of me. I know a few people who will enjoy that, so I gave my camera to Kaylee and told her to take a photo, and I had to stay pretty close to him for her to get a shot. Finally I peeled off and went into the CVS parking lot. Kaylee and I were getting out of the car when I heard a voice say "Would you like a better photo of it?" The guy had seen us in his rear view mirror, had turned around and come all the way back. He looked suspicious, and I'm guessing he was wondering if he was going to get into a conflict over his...affiliations. I laughed, said "Yes, I'd like a better photo, thank you." Took it, thanked him and he drove off. That was a little strange, a little awkward, but Kaylee and I laughed about it all the way into CVS.
I've got my bag mostly packed for my trip. While I've never been a slow packer, I find myself pretty darned efficient right now. I have a specific small bag, know exactly what to pack and how and where, and other than the stuff you have to throw in the morning you leave, I'm done in a couple minutes flat. Besides, trips like this are easy. I'm going to be spending the whole day, every day, flying in a (forced) flight suit. I might not even wear pants. It's more comfortable that way. So there.
It's going to be a good weekend. I'm going to go out there, knock off six months of formation rust, have pretty airplanes off of my wings, enjoy the view, get something done, and have fun and fully enjoy it while I'm being worked to death. Very few things in life do I come back sweaty, stringy-haired, make up rubbed off, mussed, exhausted, sore...and smile about it while looking forward to the next time. It's kind of a sickness. ;)
This was my quote in my inbox today, and I laughed when I saw it:
"It's not what you are, but what you don't become that hurts."
~Oscar Levant
A little different take on it than Mr. Levant probably meant, but... I liked to get different jobs, liked to live in lots of different places, liked to take my car and travel all over, close my eyes, point to a map, and go there. Had vastly different kinds of friends in different places, drive/fly/ride whatever kind of vehicles I can get my hands on, I like to just DO stuff. We're all limited by financial or other life constraints as to what all we can do, or become, but why not do whatever you can for as long as you can? You only get one go at it. What works, awesome; what doesn't, wouldn't have if you hadn't tried in the first place anyway, so you're not out anything. Like I said, probably not quite what he had in mind when he said that, but quotes are like art in a way and can mean different things to different folks. :)
Here are a few more pictures I saw, can't remember if I've already shared them or not, so apologies if they are duplicates. But first up is something expressing my love of talking on the telephone:
I got my lifetime gun carry permit in the mail today. It's a badly printed wallet-sized piece of thin pink paper that says it will be revoked if I do not remain, and I quote, a "Proper person". Capital P and all. So what does that mean? No passing gas in public? Steve's fingerprinting session was before mine, but my permit got here first. I'm sure there is a perfectly good explanation for that. ;) I'm going to go get it laminated so the paper doesn't dissolve within the next few months, but I'm just glad to have gotten it done and in prior to what will likely someday be a situation where future lifetime permits are no longer available/allowed. I actually first need to go do some work with a firearm. It's been awhile, my eyes have changed a fair amount, etc. That's on the list of Things To Get Done...
Speaking of guns, I was driving down the road and saw the below sticker on the pickup in front of me. I know a few people who will enjoy that, so I gave my camera to Kaylee and told her to take a photo, and I had to stay pretty close to him for her to get a shot. Finally I peeled off and went into the CVS parking lot. Kaylee and I were getting out of the car when I heard a voice say "Would you like a better photo of it?" The guy had seen us in his rear view mirror, had turned around and come all the way back. He looked suspicious, and I'm guessing he was wondering if he was going to get into a conflict over his...affiliations. I laughed, said "Yes, I'd like a better photo, thank you." Took it, thanked him and he drove off. That was a little strange, a little awkward, but Kaylee and I laughed about it all the way into CVS.
I've got my bag mostly packed for my trip. While I've never been a slow packer, I find myself pretty darned efficient right now. I have a specific small bag, know exactly what to pack and how and where, and other than the stuff you have to throw in the morning you leave, I'm done in a couple minutes flat. Besides, trips like this are easy. I'm going to be spending the whole day, every day, flying in a (forced) flight suit. I might not even wear pants. It's more comfortable that way. So there.
It's going to be a good weekend. I'm going to go out there, knock off six months of formation rust, have pretty airplanes off of my wings, enjoy the view, get something done, and have fun and fully enjoy it while I'm being worked to death. Very few things in life do I come back sweaty, stringy-haired, make up rubbed off, mussed, exhausted, sore...and smile about it while looking forward to the next time. It's kind of a sickness. ;)
This was my quote in my inbox today, and I laughed when I saw it:
"It's not what you are, but what you don't become that hurts."
~Oscar Levant
A little different take on it than Mr. Levant probably meant, but... I liked to get different jobs, liked to live in lots of different places, liked to take my car and travel all over, close my eyes, point to a map, and go there. Had vastly different kinds of friends in different places, drive/fly/ride whatever kind of vehicles I can get my hands on, I like to just DO stuff. We're all limited by financial or other life constraints as to what all we can do, or become, but why not do whatever you can for as long as you can? You only get one go at it. What works, awesome; what doesn't, wouldn't have if you hadn't tried in the first place anyway, so you're not out anything. Like I said, probably not quite what he had in mind when he said that, but quotes are like art in a way and can mean different things to different folks. :)
Here are a few more pictures I saw, can't remember if I've already shared them or not, so apologies if they are duplicates. But first up is something expressing my love of talking on the telephone:
Followed by one that just made me smile.
Followed by one that made me laugh.
Followed by one that made me smile appreciatively. You gotta like MJ.
The End. :)
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Today Talk
Since today was the day without any flights scheduled, it was the day to get everything else done. It's real exciting to read about, but it involved things like the insurance company, the music store, buying a few needed items here and there, sending out some paperwork, arranging for a hangar for this weekend in case it rained, and so forth, which kept me occupied until just before it was time to get Kaylee from school. I took her to Orange Leaf, a new ice cream/custard place, and we had ourselves a treat before coming back to math homework and a little horsing around. She's at play practice tonight, and then we're both going to need to do some packing. She's got an overnight camp to get ready for, and I've got a 4-day trip to Illinois to plan for. Hmm, Steve's going to have the place to himself Thursday night! Party at our house?...
Richard and Ann will be pulling into the driveway any minute here. They've been slowly working their way back from Florida, and will be arriving shortly, in the gray and gloom and rain, but at least it's not snowing and bitter cold any more.
I'd better go back over the formation signals again tonight or tomorrow. I can't do anything about the rust of not having actually done it in six months, but I can at least refresh myself on what I'm supposed to do and when. My neck/arms/back aren't all the way back yet either, so I'm really hoping they'll hold out for me.
We're getting more rain today, which our area really did not need, but the flooding has gone down and hopefully it hasn't been enough rain to bring back the worst of it. I think I said this already, but it was the worst flood in recorded history for our area. Today I drove past a lot of houses and businesses with high water marks and piles of belongings out on the sidewalk or in large dumpsters out in the street. Ouch.
Kaylee found out today that she got a 98% on her Greek Goddess project. You go girl. :)
Kaylee also seems to have found The Friend. You know, the one you always want to be around, the one you want to make sure is going the same places you are, the one who is just as wacky and sarcastic and goofy as you are, the one you text and Facetime and talk to all evening even though you spent the whole day together at school? The one you sit on the phone, attached to the wall, with the cord stretched out, while your friend does the same thing at her house while you both watch MacGuyver together but mostly silently on your old clunky TVs? Er.... Steve and I find ourselves interestingly cautious about the whole thing, though she doesn't know that. We don't even really know her parents yet, but we will be getting there. I'm happy she's found an evil counterpart to be with. She really is growing up fast.
Quote of the Day:
To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.
~Søren Kierkegaard
Richard and Ann will be pulling into the driveway any minute here. They've been slowly working their way back from Florida, and will be arriving shortly, in the gray and gloom and rain, but at least it's not snowing and bitter cold any more.
I'd better go back over the formation signals again tonight or tomorrow. I can't do anything about the rust of not having actually done it in six months, but I can at least refresh myself on what I'm supposed to do and when. My neck/arms/back aren't all the way back yet either, so I'm really hoping they'll hold out for me.
We're getting more rain today, which our area really did not need, but the flooding has gone down and hopefully it hasn't been enough rain to bring back the worst of it. I think I said this already, but it was the worst flood in recorded history for our area. Today I drove past a lot of houses and businesses with high water marks and piles of belongings out on the sidewalk or in large dumpsters out in the street. Ouch.
Kaylee found out today that she got a 98% on her Greek Goddess project. You go girl. :)
Kaylee also seems to have found The Friend. You know, the one you always want to be around, the one you want to make sure is going the same places you are, the one who is just as wacky and sarcastic and goofy as you are, the one you text and Facetime and talk to all evening even though you spent the whole day together at school? The one you sit on the phone, attached to the wall, with the cord stretched out, while your friend does the same thing at her house while you both watch MacGuyver together but mostly silently on your old clunky TVs? Er.... Steve and I find ourselves interestingly cautious about the whole thing, though she doesn't know that. We don't even really know her parents yet, but we will be getting there. I'm happy she's found an evil counterpart to be with. She really is growing up fast.
Quote of the Day:
To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.
~Søren Kierkegaard
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
And So On
I'm not sure why the new Pope has to dominate and interrupt TV coverage. I don't care who the new Pope is. As someone else said, "WE don't have a new Pope--YOU have a new Pope. I don't need a Pope--I get to speak to God directly." I think it's all politics and power, personally, and I want nothing to do with it.
Kaylee's been doing the ISTEP testing this week, and today was one of the last days. That's meant that all week she hasn't had any homework--until tonight. Tonight's homework is a series of math problems where they circle three words in a sentence. Like "sneakers are $19, socks are $11, how much are shorts?" So two of those words are given dollar values. sneakers = 19, socks = 11. You have to figure out the dollar value of the third word, shorts. Consonants in each word are worth something, vowels worth something else. So first you have to figure out how they came to the dollar value of the first word, see if it works on the second word too (there are multiple solutions), and then you can easily determine the value of the third word. This was the kind of thing that would have left me banging my head on the wall as a kid in impatience. She's doing much better than I did, thank heavens. ;)
The FAA has come out with five new "Safety Alerts" for pilots for this Spring. They basically say "don't stall low to the ground, don't fly into bad weather, show good judgement", etc. I know they need to spend millions and millions of dollars to try to do something to stop the same accidents from happening over and over, but I think they're missing something. Nobody starts off a flight ignorant of what a stall is, for example. It's taught in the first few lessons. Nobody doesn't know what bad weather is. Nobody thinks they have bad judgement in general. The problem is that usually these things happen in a way you didn't see coming, didn't expect, didn't mean to do. Beyond that, telling somebody to use good judgement is like telling somebody to be smart. You can say it all you want, but you can't make it happen, and sometimes, neither can they. I don't know what the answer is, other than the obvious--you (hopefully) learn to make good decisions from experience and you gain experience from sometimes making bad decisions. The problem is, in this arena, you have to survive the bad decisions, and not everybody gets the chance to do that. So how do you get people to not make bad decisions in the first place? Figure that one out and you'll be wealthy for life--especially from parents of teenagers. :)
Speaking of parents of teenagers, almost, Kaylee and I had a conversation on the way home from school that made me laugh. She asked me about what a "stick shift" was and how it worked and what pedals went where and such. So I went into a fairly basic explanation of manual vs automatic transmission vehicles, and she said "I don't think I'm going to drive a manual." I said very firmly "Oh yes you are." She kind of huffed and said "WHY? It sounds like a pain." I told her that no kid of mine was going to be unable to drive a stick shift. We went back and forth a little bit, and then I said "Besides, remember, our Corvette is manual." She said "Don't they make automatic Corvettes?" Oh, the heresy!! I was offended. I said that they do, but that it's like putting training wheels on a bicycle, just Not Cool. She said it seems like an unnecessary thing to learn, and I told her she had to learn to drive a stick, period, just like she was going to learn how to fly a taildragger, not just "tricycle gear". That's where the song came in that I belted out in the car: "Mommas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to Only Drive Automatics-or-Nosedraggers..." She rolled her eyes at me. I don't care. She's still going to learn to both drive and fly a stick. ;)
One other Kaylee story. On the bus this morning, a kid was cursing and dropping F-bombs and being really rude, loudly. Kaylee said there were kindergartners on the bus asking what some of the words meant. When she got off the bus, she told the bus driver what had been going on, the bus driver told the principal, the principal called Kaylee into his office to tell him about it, which she did. The principal thanked her for stepping up and letting them know about it. I asked her, out of curiosity, "so what if he finds out you were the one who told on him?" She shrugged and said "He wouldn't be a problem--he's a 5th grader and he's small. I could handle him. Besides, I'd have backup from some of the other kids on the bus." I wonder if any of the other kids on the bus told him to knock it off first. I'll have to ask. Anyway, it wasn't a difficult decision for her to make, she didn't feel the need to ask if she should or shouldn't, she wasn't worried about it afterwards, she just thought a grown-up needed to tell the kid to knock it off because it was affecting the "little" kids...
A pilot for the Collins Foundation just "friended" me on Facebook, and under his quotes he had listed this one, which made me laugh (I apologize to some of you for this one):
Aviation is the abusive white trash boyfriend that I am too stupid to leave.
~Unknown
Kaylee's been doing the ISTEP testing this week, and today was one of the last days. That's meant that all week she hasn't had any homework--until tonight. Tonight's homework is a series of math problems where they circle three words in a sentence. Like "sneakers are $19, socks are $11, how much are shorts?" So two of those words are given dollar values. sneakers = 19, socks = 11. You have to figure out the dollar value of the third word, shorts. Consonants in each word are worth something, vowels worth something else. So first you have to figure out how they came to the dollar value of the first word, see if it works on the second word too (there are multiple solutions), and then you can easily determine the value of the third word. This was the kind of thing that would have left me banging my head on the wall as a kid in impatience. She's doing much better than I did, thank heavens. ;)
The FAA has come out with five new "Safety Alerts" for pilots for this Spring. They basically say "don't stall low to the ground, don't fly into bad weather, show good judgement", etc. I know they need to spend millions and millions of dollars to try to do something to stop the same accidents from happening over and over, but I think they're missing something. Nobody starts off a flight ignorant of what a stall is, for example. It's taught in the first few lessons. Nobody doesn't know what bad weather is. Nobody thinks they have bad judgement in general. The problem is that usually these things happen in a way you didn't see coming, didn't expect, didn't mean to do. Beyond that, telling somebody to use good judgement is like telling somebody to be smart. You can say it all you want, but you can't make it happen, and sometimes, neither can they. I don't know what the answer is, other than the obvious--you (hopefully) learn to make good decisions from experience and you gain experience from sometimes making bad decisions. The problem is, in this arena, you have to survive the bad decisions, and not everybody gets the chance to do that. So how do you get people to not make bad decisions in the first place? Figure that one out and you'll be wealthy for life--especially from parents of teenagers. :)
Speaking of parents of teenagers, almost, Kaylee and I had a conversation on the way home from school that made me laugh. She asked me about what a "stick shift" was and how it worked and what pedals went where and such. So I went into a fairly basic explanation of manual vs automatic transmission vehicles, and she said "I don't think I'm going to drive a manual." I said very firmly "Oh yes you are." She kind of huffed and said "WHY? It sounds like a pain." I told her that no kid of mine was going to be unable to drive a stick shift. We went back and forth a little bit, and then I said "Besides, remember, our Corvette is manual." She said "Don't they make automatic Corvettes?" Oh, the heresy!! I was offended. I said that they do, but that it's like putting training wheels on a bicycle, just Not Cool. She said it seems like an unnecessary thing to learn, and I told her she had to learn to drive a stick, period, just like she was going to learn how to fly a taildragger, not just "tricycle gear". That's where the song came in that I belted out in the car: "Mommas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to Only Drive Automatics-or-Nosedraggers..." She rolled her eyes at me. I don't care. She's still going to learn to both drive and fly a stick. ;)
One other Kaylee story. On the bus this morning, a kid was cursing and dropping F-bombs and being really rude, loudly. Kaylee said there were kindergartners on the bus asking what some of the words meant. When she got off the bus, she told the bus driver what had been going on, the bus driver told the principal, the principal called Kaylee into his office to tell him about it, which she did. The principal thanked her for stepping up and letting them know about it. I asked her, out of curiosity, "so what if he finds out you were the one who told on him?" She shrugged and said "He wouldn't be a problem--he's a 5th grader and he's small. I could handle him. Besides, I'd have backup from some of the other kids on the bus." I wonder if any of the other kids on the bus told him to knock it off first. I'll have to ask. Anyway, it wasn't a difficult decision for her to make, she didn't feel the need to ask if she should or shouldn't, she wasn't worried about it afterwards, she just thought a grown-up needed to tell the kid to knock it off because it was affecting the "little" kids...
A pilot for the Collins Foundation just "friended" me on Facebook, and under his quotes he had listed this one, which made me laugh (I apologize to some of you for this one):
Aviation is the abusive white trash boyfriend that I am too stupid to leave.
~Unknown
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Kaylee and Life
So let's talk about Kaylee a little bit today, shall we?
She came home from school in a most excellent mood, with two medals dangling from around her neck. They had a large pep rally today, and combined it with an awards day where they handed out medals to kids who tested "outstanding" at ISTEP testing in any of three categories: math, social studies and/or language arts. For each class they would call out the name of the students for each individual subject, they'd all get up from their seats in the gym and go up, shake all the teacher's hands, and get their medal. Kaylee got to go up twice, and got medals in social studies and language arts. She just barely missed getting math, which bothered her because the other kids in her advanced math class got the math medal. But she was one of only 3 kids in her class to get 2 out of 3 medals, nobody got 3 out of 3, and a handful got 1 out of 3, so she was feeling pretty good about that. What made her even happier was that as each kid's name was called, people who knew them would cheer for them, and if you remember being 12, having your name called and having nobody cheer would be something you still remember un-fondly when you're 40. Or so I am told. ;) But she said when her name was called, there were kids she didn't even know that well clapping and cheering for her, and that it made her day. She's not a "popular kid", so it was meaningful to her that some other kids were kind and cheering for her. Kaylee also came home without any homework to do for tomorrow, which is Friday, so she has nothing she has to do but a few small chores until next Monday, which she informed me of by jumping around in the kitchen.
Last but not least, Kaylee has been saving up her money for a long time, and she has a pretty good stash going. She has wanted to buy an iPod Touch for a long time now, but we wouldn't get her one. She already has an iPod shuffle, she has a Droid smart phone, and she has a Kindle Fire. Why on earth does she need another electronic device, you know? I will admit, she does utilize them for their intended purposes, but still. So she tried it on me first, and I proceeded to shoot down every argument she had, so she said "Okay, I have obviously not thought enough about this. Pretend this conversation never happened, and I'll get a better argument and get back to you." She then got on the computer and did some research, and over about a two-hour period hand wrote a two-page "Persuasive Letter" as she literally called it. Which we are keeping, by the way. Steve read it, pointed out a few of the things she had wrong in there, and then proposed a deal for her. She just doesn't need another iPod to haul around. But the iPod Touch, 4th generation that she was looking at, is just an iPhone without the Phone. The iPod Touch would cost almost $200. Taking her (my old) Droid and turning it into an iPhone would cost $100, and would give her the same functions without having two things to carry around. In other words, half the cost, twice the function, half the bulk. She agreed, paid Steve the $100, and he has the phone on the way, which may get here as soon as tomorrow. Kaylee has been freaking out excited about it. So all in all that kid's life Rocks right now. ;)
By the way, she's been very responsible with her Droid thus far--she has taken care of it, and used it appropriately. We also had a reiteration of the conversation that she has no privacy from us on it, too. For the record, I don't think a 12-year-old needs a smart phone. I like her having a phone for reasons I've already said before, but it doesn't need to be a smart phone. Steve's been the one talking me into letting her have a TV in her room and a smart phone, and I have to admit, she hasn't been a...brat...for lack of a better word, hasn't misused things, etc., so so far he's been right that just because you have stuff that doesn't mean you're automatically a spoiled brat. ;) I told her in the car the other day, when she was talking about her about-to-arrive phone, that she was one lucky kid who had had a very easy life thus far. She looked at me and said "I know." I said "No, you don't, but that's okay." Then I told her that some day things were going to be a lot harder, that I hoped that she would have the strength to deal with what life was likely to throw her way, that she's never had to fight for anything and that I hope she had it down in her when she needed it, to come out of it better and stronger, not bitter, no matter what. Which is a very weird thing to say to your 12-year-old. What can I say, I'm a very weird mother. At least I know it.
I revised a couple of documents and sent them back off, wrote a couple thank you notes I was behind on, looked up a few things for some people, and in general worked on a list of things I need to do that I don't feel like doing but that need to get done anyway. See why I talked about Kaylee instead? ;)
I did get a few quotes today that kind of made me smile. I'll end on those:
You can either go cry in the truck…or Cowboy Up!
(I'm more rock and roll than country, but still. ;))
My inner child is a mean little sucker.
(Not really, but some days...)
Then there is the most dangerous risk of all-the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later. ~Randy Komsimar
(On some things you just won't have a choice, or a chance. But yeah, you gotta do what you can while you can, because you only get one go at this...)
She came home from school in a most excellent mood, with two medals dangling from around her neck. They had a large pep rally today, and combined it with an awards day where they handed out medals to kids who tested "outstanding" at ISTEP testing in any of three categories: math, social studies and/or language arts. For each class they would call out the name of the students for each individual subject, they'd all get up from their seats in the gym and go up, shake all the teacher's hands, and get their medal. Kaylee got to go up twice, and got medals in social studies and language arts. She just barely missed getting math, which bothered her because the other kids in her advanced math class got the math medal. But she was one of only 3 kids in her class to get 2 out of 3 medals, nobody got 3 out of 3, and a handful got 1 out of 3, so she was feeling pretty good about that. What made her even happier was that as each kid's name was called, people who knew them would cheer for them, and if you remember being 12, having your name called and having nobody cheer would be something you still remember un-fondly when you're 40. Or so I am told. ;) But she said when her name was called, there were kids she didn't even know that well clapping and cheering for her, and that it made her day. She's not a "popular kid", so it was meaningful to her that some other kids were kind and cheering for her. Kaylee also came home without any homework to do for tomorrow, which is Friday, so she has nothing she has to do but a few small chores until next Monday, which she informed me of by jumping around in the kitchen.
Last but not least, Kaylee has been saving up her money for a long time, and she has a pretty good stash going. She has wanted to buy an iPod Touch for a long time now, but we wouldn't get her one. She already has an iPod shuffle, she has a Droid smart phone, and she has a Kindle Fire. Why on earth does she need another electronic device, you know? I will admit, she does utilize them for their intended purposes, but still. So she tried it on me first, and I proceeded to shoot down every argument she had, so she said "Okay, I have obviously not thought enough about this. Pretend this conversation never happened, and I'll get a better argument and get back to you." She then got on the computer and did some research, and over about a two-hour period hand wrote a two-page "Persuasive Letter" as she literally called it. Which we are keeping, by the way. Steve read it, pointed out a few of the things she had wrong in there, and then proposed a deal for her. She just doesn't need another iPod to haul around. But the iPod Touch, 4th generation that she was looking at, is just an iPhone without the Phone. The iPod Touch would cost almost $200. Taking her (my old) Droid and turning it into an iPhone would cost $100, and would give her the same functions without having two things to carry around. In other words, half the cost, twice the function, half the bulk. She agreed, paid Steve the $100, and he has the phone on the way, which may get here as soon as tomorrow. Kaylee has been freaking out excited about it. So all in all that kid's life Rocks right now. ;)
By the way, she's been very responsible with her Droid thus far--she has taken care of it, and used it appropriately. We also had a reiteration of the conversation that she has no privacy from us on it, too. For the record, I don't think a 12-year-old needs a smart phone. I like her having a phone for reasons I've already said before, but it doesn't need to be a smart phone. Steve's been the one talking me into letting her have a TV in her room and a smart phone, and I have to admit, she hasn't been a...brat...for lack of a better word, hasn't misused things, etc., so so far he's been right that just because you have stuff that doesn't mean you're automatically a spoiled brat. ;) I told her in the car the other day, when she was talking about her about-to-arrive phone, that she was one lucky kid who had had a very easy life thus far. She looked at me and said "I know." I said "No, you don't, but that's okay." Then I told her that some day things were going to be a lot harder, that I hoped that she would have the strength to deal with what life was likely to throw her way, that she's never had to fight for anything and that I hope she had it down in her when she needed it, to come out of it better and stronger, not bitter, no matter what. Which is a very weird thing to say to your 12-year-old. What can I say, I'm a very weird mother. At least I know it.
I revised a couple of documents and sent them back off, wrote a couple thank you notes I was behind on, looked up a few things for some people, and in general worked on a list of things I need to do that I don't feel like doing but that need to get done anyway. See why I talked about Kaylee instead? ;)
I did get a few quotes today that kind of made me smile. I'll end on those:
You can either go cry in the truck…or Cowboy Up!
(I'm more rock and roll than country, but still. ;))
My inner child is a mean little sucker.
(Not really, but some days...)
Then there is the most dangerous risk of all-the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later. ~Randy Komsimar
(On some things you just won't have a choice, or a chance. But yeah, you gotta do what you can while you can, because you only get one go at this...)
Monday, January 28, 2013
Four Mississippi
Well, this one didn't go quite as smoothly. When I woke up at 4:30 a.m., I found my destination below IFR minimums. So I got ready anyway, sent a text and said "Do you want to push back by an hour, go ahead and go but land at this other airport that is higher than minimums, or stop for fuel halfway and give the original destination 3.5 hours to raise up to minimums and see what we get?" We ended up waiting an hour. We actually ended up waiting more than an hour, as the plane hadn't been topped off like we thought it was, and I had to wait for the fuel guy to come out and top me off. That was irritating, by the way, but I figured at the time the longer the delay the better my chances of getting into the airport without having to stop. It didn't work, but it was a nice thought. ;) We had pretty large band of precip we worked around, got wet a few times, but nothing convective. It did make us deviate a lot, however. The headwinds along with the deviations meant that when I got to our destination, I'd have 40 minutes reserve...the nearest airport above legal alternates was an hour away. Our destination was reporting 500' and 4 miles for awhile, but the weather was calling for occasional periods of low IFR, and it and everything around it kept going up and down, above and below minimums. I'm not playing with that, where you have one chance to get in and if you blow it you're stuck. So, we stopped at "Golden Triangle", a place I'd looked up ahead of time that was on the edge of the low ceilings, filled up, and took back off. By the time that stop was done and we got back to MS, the visibilities were 10 and the ceilings were over 1000' where we wanted to go. So I got an ILS into Golden Triangle and broke out fairly high, and a GPS approach into Hattiesburg, with practically VFR conditions.
I was working on filling up the plane when someone walked up behind me and said "Hey, you need to stop coming to my airport without letting me know you're coming!" It was Herve, my online pilot friend. We talked for awhile, and then I offered to go to lunch with him, but he declined, saying he wasn't dressed for where I was going. I wasn't dressed for where I was going either, but I didn't care. ;) I had these crab wonton appetizers, then on to the "catch of the day" sandwich, fresh from the Gulf. Black Dunn or something like this. It was quite good. I brought home some bread and seafood/crab bisque with me to share with a few folks soon, and Herve found a place where I can order fresh seafood, so as soon as I have an order put together, he'll get it to me. Success.
When I took back off for Kokomo, it was 500 overcast or so there, which is what it was when we left, and what it was supposed to be all day, according to the forecast. So as I was cruising along, when I saw it dipped to 300', I thought "huh, well, it'll probably go back up." Then it went to 200 and 1/2 mile. I zoomed around and looked out, and to the west of where I was going there were a lot of hot pink flags. Hot pink means very low IFR. Red means IFR. I started pulling up airport after airport, and they were all calling for very low ceilings, low visibilities, and fog. The whole area was going down to fog. I came up with Plan B and C, and then kept motoring towards Kokomo, which was still reporting right at minimums. I was still an hour out when everything around, and I mean everything in Central Indiana, was below minimums and fog...except Kokomo. Grissom was reporting 1/8 mile and fog, and Grissom is about 8 miles away from Kokomo. I figured there was no way Kokomo would hold out. But it did, and for over an hour. When I was on the approach, Grissom came on and said "We are reporting...actually, we aren't reporting ANYTHING on vis right now." (Zero.) I told him, "Kokomo's AWOS is still reporting 200 and over 1/2, so I'm going to go take a look." He didn't answer me, and he probably thought I was lying. He cleared me for the approach. I hand flew it, left my strobes and landing lights off so that I'd hopefully be able to better see any hint of ground lights, waited until I was less than a mile out before triggering the lights on high, and waited. I had the airplane set up to yell the word "MINIMUMS" at me at the correct time, which is a very handy feature when you're single pilot, and I saw the rabbit lights right as it called out Minimums. The runway lights were all surrounded by fog, which was really quite pretty looking. Right now Kokomo is below minimums too, as is the northern half now of Indiana. I'm glad it held out for me, held out long enough for me to be able to get home tonight.
Now we'll see if Kaylee's school has a fog delay in the morning, as this is supposed to hang on until tomorrow sometime.
It was a long day, really. Lots of flying, lots of planning and re-planning, assessing and deciding, where not much went very easily. But...another day's in the books, mission accomplished, even if not a cakewalk..
The quote that hit my inbox today was this one:
If fate means you to lose, give him a good fight anyhow.
~William McFee
I was working on filling up the plane when someone walked up behind me and said "Hey, you need to stop coming to my airport without letting me know you're coming!" It was Herve, my online pilot friend. We talked for awhile, and then I offered to go to lunch with him, but he declined, saying he wasn't dressed for where I was going. I wasn't dressed for where I was going either, but I didn't care. ;) I had these crab wonton appetizers, then on to the "catch of the day" sandwich, fresh from the Gulf. Black Dunn or something like this. It was quite good. I brought home some bread and seafood/crab bisque with me to share with a few folks soon, and Herve found a place where I can order fresh seafood, so as soon as I have an order put together, he'll get it to me. Success.
When I took back off for Kokomo, it was 500 overcast or so there, which is what it was when we left, and what it was supposed to be all day, according to the forecast. So as I was cruising along, when I saw it dipped to 300', I thought "huh, well, it'll probably go back up." Then it went to 200 and 1/2 mile. I zoomed around and looked out, and to the west of where I was going there were a lot of hot pink flags. Hot pink means very low IFR. Red means IFR. I started pulling up airport after airport, and they were all calling for very low ceilings, low visibilities, and fog. The whole area was going down to fog. I came up with Plan B and C, and then kept motoring towards Kokomo, which was still reporting right at minimums. I was still an hour out when everything around, and I mean everything in Central Indiana, was below minimums and fog...except Kokomo. Grissom was reporting 1/8 mile and fog, and Grissom is about 8 miles away from Kokomo. I figured there was no way Kokomo would hold out. But it did, and for over an hour. When I was on the approach, Grissom came on and said "We are reporting...actually, we aren't reporting ANYTHING on vis right now." (Zero.) I told him, "Kokomo's AWOS is still reporting 200 and over 1/2, so I'm going to go take a look." He didn't answer me, and he probably thought I was lying. He cleared me for the approach. I hand flew it, left my strobes and landing lights off so that I'd hopefully be able to better see any hint of ground lights, waited until I was less than a mile out before triggering the lights on high, and waited. I had the airplane set up to yell the word "MINIMUMS" at me at the correct time, which is a very handy feature when you're single pilot, and I saw the rabbit lights right as it called out Minimums. The runway lights were all surrounded by fog, which was really quite pretty looking. Right now Kokomo is below minimums too, as is the northern half now of Indiana. I'm glad it held out for me, held out long enough for me to be able to get home tonight.
Now we'll see if Kaylee's school has a fog delay in the morning, as this is supposed to hang on until tomorrow sometime.
It was a long day, really. Lots of flying, lots of planning and re-planning, assessing and deciding, where not much went very easily. But...another day's in the books, mission accomplished, even if not a cakewalk..
The quote that hit my inbox today was this one:
If fate means you to lose, give him a good fight anyhow.
~William McFee
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Bitter Sweet
Bitter cold gave all the kids a two-hour school delay this morning, and they were considerate enough to declare it last night so everyone could just sleep on in. It's for the bus stop kids who have to stand outside and wait on the bus, but it didn't affect MY bus stop group/kid since they all sit in the cars with the heater running until the bus shows up. But she took the two hour delay with glee anyway, and I didn't have any complaints myself.
It looks beautiful out there, but it really is brutal when you have to step out in it for long. I did the usual round of things, then got a few things for Kaylee's birthday set up, then went out to Kokomo to make very sure of what was wrong with the 340 heater before flying it over to Chicago tomorrow to be fixed. That's going to be another cold hour's flight over there, but I'm going to be a little better prepared for it. As well-prepared as a person who hates being cold can be, anyway.
I got an email today from the guy who does most of the Red Star formation events around here, and it was a calendar of events for next year; formation clinic weekends, known air shows and fly-overs, etc. It's the coldest day we've had here all year thus far, but I suddenly smelled a hint of Spring today anyway. I found myself driving along day-dreaming through the various maneuvers, looking at the airplanes lined up out there with the sun glinting off of the props and wings, and just smiling to myself. For a few minutes today I was one of those people you drive by and wonder at. ;) The first event currently listed for Spring is in Louisville, KY over the March 9-10 weekend--the weekend I turn 41. It probably doesn't sound very proper, but I gotta admit, spending my birthday knocking off some formation flying rust in what has become a fairly laid-back environment sounds pretty sweet to me...
And yes, this is one reason I hope there are many, many trips to Mississippi (or wherever) this winter. March 1st is only 38 days away, you know!
By the way, I'm still working on my back/neck/arms. My limitations are not as noticeable in day to day activities any more, but part of that is that I've compensated for what I can't do as well. I'm trying to quit that, as I recently noticed a loss of range of motion in one particular direction I hadn't really realized. I don't want to just compensate, I want to be back where I started. I still do my stretching and exercises every day, and am still building up some with weights. It IS better; I still have a couple of areas where I'm as weak as a child, but it is better. The first time I fueled up the 340 by myself in MS, I was sore and a little messed up for 3 days. Hauling and twisting the hose up and down the ladder, twisting off and on four fuel caps, holding the fuel nozzle out away from the wing while it takes 135 gallons, slowly, etc. (Sounds pathetic, doesn't it?? That's what I'm sayin'!) The second time, this last time, I was only sore for one day, and not nearly as bad. So, I'm not doing a daily play by play of walking on the treadmill (which yes, I still do), or this back thing, because it's not very interesting. But I'm still plugging along, and plan on doing so until I get where I want. I am curious on how I'd do in the Six with it now. Not curious enough to try flying it when it's -15F windchill out there, but curious. ;)
I get an aviation e-newsletter, and they always end it with a quote. This was today's, and I had to give it a nod.
"It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to."
~W.C. Fields
Boy, isn't that the truth...
It looks beautiful out there, but it really is brutal when you have to step out in it for long. I did the usual round of things, then got a few things for Kaylee's birthday set up, then went out to Kokomo to make very sure of what was wrong with the 340 heater before flying it over to Chicago tomorrow to be fixed. That's going to be another cold hour's flight over there, but I'm going to be a little better prepared for it. As well-prepared as a person who hates being cold can be, anyway.
I got an email today from the guy who does most of the Red Star formation events around here, and it was a calendar of events for next year; formation clinic weekends, known air shows and fly-overs, etc. It's the coldest day we've had here all year thus far, but I suddenly smelled a hint of Spring today anyway. I found myself driving along day-dreaming through the various maneuvers, looking at the airplanes lined up out there with the sun glinting off of the props and wings, and just smiling to myself. For a few minutes today I was one of those people you drive by and wonder at. ;) The first event currently listed for Spring is in Louisville, KY over the March 9-10 weekend--the weekend I turn 41. It probably doesn't sound very proper, but I gotta admit, spending my birthday knocking off some formation flying rust in what has become a fairly laid-back environment sounds pretty sweet to me...
And yes, this is one reason I hope there are many, many trips to Mississippi (or wherever) this winter. March 1st is only 38 days away, you know!
By the way, I'm still working on my back/neck/arms. My limitations are not as noticeable in day to day activities any more, but part of that is that I've compensated for what I can't do as well. I'm trying to quit that, as I recently noticed a loss of range of motion in one particular direction I hadn't really realized. I don't want to just compensate, I want to be back where I started. I still do my stretching and exercises every day, and am still building up some with weights. It IS better; I still have a couple of areas where I'm as weak as a child, but it is better. The first time I fueled up the 340 by myself in MS, I was sore and a little messed up for 3 days. Hauling and twisting the hose up and down the ladder, twisting off and on four fuel caps, holding the fuel nozzle out away from the wing while it takes 135 gallons, slowly, etc. (Sounds pathetic, doesn't it?? That's what I'm sayin'!) The second time, this last time, I was only sore for one day, and not nearly as bad. So, I'm not doing a daily play by play of walking on the treadmill (which yes, I still do), or this back thing, because it's not very interesting. But I'm still plugging along, and plan on doing so until I get where I want. I am curious on how I'd do in the Six with it now. Not curious enough to try flying it when it's -15F windchill out there, but curious. ;)
I get an aviation e-newsletter, and they always end it with a quote. This was today's, and I had to give it a nod.
"It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to."
~W.C. Fields
Boy, isn't that the truth...
Sunday, January 06, 2013
Week One
It's been a good first week of 2013. I've caught up on a lot of things. Like today I'm caught up on laundry and dishes and emails and ordering some SMA Support stuff and scheduling some appointments and getting in an argument via the email and treadmilling (one of my students HATES it when people take a noun and turn it into a verb, so I've been doing that on purpose-like "formating" or "treadmilling") and am sitting sipping hot tea with milk and watching the Colts play really hard but lose in the playoffs anyway. They have nothing to be ashamed of this year. They worked hard and did well.
When we were in Tennessee, we had 5 and 10 lb weights in our room. I couldn't lift the 5 lb weights straight out at my sides-couldn't even lift it more than a couple of inches. So when I got home, I had these little 2 lb weights and started in on those, just for that one move. Everything else, I'm okay, but that one motion I couldn't do. Today I made it, got 10 "reps" of TWO POUNDS. Two pounds is what I can lift straight out to the side right now. But when you couldn't even lift your arm that far a few weeks ago, well, you gotta start somewhere, I guess, it's just kind of embarrassing is all. ;) You lift up the 2 lb weights in your hands and mostly you can't even feel they are there. When I can do 5 lbs, I'll move up and do more all around exercises with them. I've been doing push ups on the counter in the kitchen, because I can't do them on the floor yet, but I can do them there at the right angle. Kaylee came in and said "WHAT are you doing??" I told her I was trying to fix my messed up neck/arms by doing what I can to stretch and strengthen. So she came over and told me I should try "this" move, and then she did a push up off the counter, spun around, fell backwards towards the counter, caught herself with her arms, did a backwards push up, pushed herself off, spun around and faced forward, etc. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but I'm pretty sure that right now when I "caught" myself going backwards, I'd end up with a concussion when my arms gave out. ;) I told her I'd do it...later. Hopefully by Spring, 2-3 months here, I'll be back up to at least a normal girl strength levels.
We left our Christmas stuff up for one more weekend. The lights are still on, the tree smells good, and we were so late getting it up that we figured we'd enjoy it just one week longer.
We tried to help Kaylee get ready for going back to school by having her go to bed an hour earlier at night and getting up an hour earlier each day these last few days. It went pretty well until last night. Last night she was supposed to go to bed at 9 and get up at 8 this morning. The poor kid laid there in bed for 4 hours, wide awake. I know how she feels, it happens to me too. Tonight's going to be just as bad, only she'll have to get up at 6:15 a.m. I hope they don't have any big brain tests on these first few days back to school! Poor kid. I told her this is why you want to try to avoid staying up super late even on a holiday, because going back is hard, particularly when you're not wired that way. I hope she gets some sleep tonight...
Ending on a quote I saw today that I liked: "It is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings." ~Ann Landers.
(It's ironic that right as I type that, Kaylee is doing her own laundry. It may not be what could make her a successful human being, but it still works for me. ;))
When we were in Tennessee, we had 5 and 10 lb weights in our room. I couldn't lift the 5 lb weights straight out at my sides-couldn't even lift it more than a couple of inches. So when I got home, I had these little 2 lb weights and started in on those, just for that one move. Everything else, I'm okay, but that one motion I couldn't do. Today I made it, got 10 "reps" of TWO POUNDS. Two pounds is what I can lift straight out to the side right now. But when you couldn't even lift your arm that far a few weeks ago, well, you gotta start somewhere, I guess, it's just kind of embarrassing is all. ;) You lift up the 2 lb weights in your hands and mostly you can't even feel they are there. When I can do 5 lbs, I'll move up and do more all around exercises with them. I've been doing push ups on the counter in the kitchen, because I can't do them on the floor yet, but I can do them there at the right angle. Kaylee came in and said "WHAT are you doing??" I told her I was trying to fix my messed up neck/arms by doing what I can to stretch and strengthen. So she came over and told me I should try "this" move, and then she did a push up off the counter, spun around, fell backwards towards the counter, caught herself with her arms, did a backwards push up, pushed herself off, spun around and faced forward, etc. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but I'm pretty sure that right now when I "caught" myself going backwards, I'd end up with a concussion when my arms gave out. ;) I told her I'd do it...later. Hopefully by Spring, 2-3 months here, I'll be back up to at least a normal girl strength levels.
We left our Christmas stuff up for one more weekend. The lights are still on, the tree smells good, and we were so late getting it up that we figured we'd enjoy it just one week longer.
We tried to help Kaylee get ready for going back to school by having her go to bed an hour earlier at night and getting up an hour earlier each day these last few days. It went pretty well until last night. Last night she was supposed to go to bed at 9 and get up at 8 this morning. The poor kid laid there in bed for 4 hours, wide awake. I know how she feels, it happens to me too. Tonight's going to be just as bad, only she'll have to get up at 6:15 a.m. I hope they don't have any big brain tests on these first few days back to school! Poor kid. I told her this is why you want to try to avoid staying up super late even on a holiday, because going back is hard, particularly when you're not wired that way. I hope she gets some sleep tonight...
Ending on a quote I saw today that I liked: "It is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings." ~Ann Landers.
(It's ironic that right as I type that, Kaylee is doing her own laundry. It may not be what could make her a successful human being, but it still works for me. ;))
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Thursday
Originally Kaylee wanted to be Katniss from the Hunger Games for Halloween. She dressed up that way for a school party, and I ordered the rest of the "real" outfit online--early, even! On the entire internet I could only find the thing in adult sizes, so I got Adult XS, which upon measuring her, seemed like should fit. It got here, and she didn't like it, and it didn't fit her well, so I sent it back. I was about to get another when she said she changed her mind, and wanted to be Isis, an Egyptian goddess. Okay. So we went to the Halloween store in town, where we found the costume--which only came in adult sizes. Please insert my yearly rant here about how Messed Up it is that you can get any costume--mostly inappropriate ones--for adults, and have a hard time finding a variety of decent costumes for KIDS. For Halloween. Anyway, she loved the gown she found, even though it's too big for her, and that's what she went with for Halloween. She started off as a bow and arrow carrying fighter and ended up in an Egyptian goddess dress and gold hair piece. Somehow neither one surprises me. ;)
The flight in the 172 this morning was bumpy and breezy. They closed the runway into the wind, leaving everyone with a 50-60 degree crosswind gusting up over 25 knots, which was a good challenge for folks. I flew for 1.2, had a quick lunch, and then headed to Sheridan to give an IPC (Instrument Proficiency Check) to the chief pilot of a competitor's flight school; he also flies King Airs and a C-414 for a local business. Their insurance company approved me or Steve to provide his annual checkout as opposed to him having to go to a three day course (like I used for the C-340), so that's what I did, in the C-414. I'd flown that exact C-414 before, many years ago, but what was kind of funny about it was that back when I flew it, I sat down in it and felt like it was a very large airplane with a lot of stuff going on. Today I climbed in it, looked around, and...it was a lot smaller than I remembered. ;)
Kaylee is on Fall Break right now, and she got to start off the break by sleeping in. I woke her up this morning to let her know I was leaving to go to work, and she she couldn't even open her mouth to say goodbye. It was cute. She later got to continue her break by going down to Noblesville and spending tonight and tomorrow night with a friend, and that excited her greatly. I forgot to tell her to behave, but hopefully by now she knows that without me telling her. Right? Surely...
The quotes that came to my inbox today were all about fear:
You are frightened of everything. You call it caution. You call it common sense. You call it practicality. You call it playing the odds, but that's only because you're afraid to call it by its real name, and its real name is fear.
~Mick Farren
The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out ... and do it.
~Susan Jeffers
The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
~Nelson Mandela
----------------------------------------------------------
Kaylee loves to cuddle, in the mornings, and in the evenings, and tonight I wouldn't mind having her here lying on my shoulder with her arm around me, this time for Me. Tonight one of "my" SMA families is in trouble. In this last week, three SMA children have died, two of them who were otherwise healthy and fine and doing well, whose hearts then just stopped out of the blue. Two days ago a little girl named Tabitha was taken to the hospital in distress. Several years ago her mom & dad lost Tabitha's big sister, Taleah, to SMA. Taleah was 4 years old, and Tabitha is 5 now, and has been fighting hard these last two days, going in and out of consciousness. Her mom posted this today: "I told her that as long as she wants to fight, we are right by her side supporting her, but if she decides she is done, we will be right by her side in that choice as well. We are doing our best to let her lead the way, this is her life, her body and her choice. I love her so much." The mom and dad went home to try to get some rest, and left grandma to stay with their daughter...and were only home for about an hour when they were called to come back because Tabs is failing. I've known this family for over ten years, known them through the lives of two daughters with SMA, and tonight they are likely losing their second little girl. It makes me so angry. This picture was posted of Monica hugging her unresponsive daughter. Look at it. I don't suggest you talk to me about any more political bickering right now...
The flight in the 172 this morning was bumpy and breezy. They closed the runway into the wind, leaving everyone with a 50-60 degree crosswind gusting up over 25 knots, which was a good challenge for folks. I flew for 1.2, had a quick lunch, and then headed to Sheridan to give an IPC (Instrument Proficiency Check) to the chief pilot of a competitor's flight school; he also flies King Airs and a C-414 for a local business. Their insurance company approved me or Steve to provide his annual checkout as opposed to him having to go to a three day course (like I used for the C-340), so that's what I did, in the C-414. I'd flown that exact C-414 before, many years ago, but what was kind of funny about it was that back when I flew it, I sat down in it and felt like it was a very large airplane with a lot of stuff going on. Today I climbed in it, looked around, and...it was a lot smaller than I remembered. ;)
Kaylee is on Fall Break right now, and she got to start off the break by sleeping in. I woke her up this morning to let her know I was leaving to go to work, and she she couldn't even open her mouth to say goodbye. It was cute. She later got to continue her break by going down to Noblesville and spending tonight and tomorrow night with a friend, and that excited her greatly. I forgot to tell her to behave, but hopefully by now she knows that without me telling her. Right? Surely...
The quotes that came to my inbox today were all about fear:
You are frightened of everything. You call it caution. You call it common sense. You call it practicality. You call it playing the odds, but that's only because you're afraid to call it by its real name, and its real name is fear.
~Mick Farren
The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out ... and do it.
~Susan Jeffers
The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
~Nelson Mandela
----------------------------------------------------------
Kaylee loves to cuddle, in the mornings, and in the evenings, and tonight I wouldn't mind having her here lying on my shoulder with her arm around me, this time for Me. Tonight one of "my" SMA families is in trouble. In this last week, three SMA children have died, two of them who were otherwise healthy and fine and doing well, whose hearts then just stopped out of the blue. Two days ago a little girl named Tabitha was taken to the hospital in distress. Several years ago her mom & dad lost Tabitha's big sister, Taleah, to SMA. Taleah was 4 years old, and Tabitha is 5 now, and has been fighting hard these last two days, going in and out of consciousness. Her mom posted this today: "I told her that as long as she wants to fight, we are right by her side supporting her, but if she decides she is done, we will be right by her side in that choice as well. We are doing our best to let her lead the way, this is her life, her body and her choice. I love her so much." The mom and dad went home to try to get some rest, and left grandma to stay with their daughter...and were only home for about an hour when they were called to come back because Tabs is failing. I've known this family for over ten years, known them through the lives of two daughters with SMA, and tonight they are likely losing their second little girl. It makes me so angry. This picture was posted of Monica hugging her unresponsive daughter. Look at it. I don't suggest you talk to me about any more political bickering right now...
Friday, October 12, 2012
Friday's Brief
Flew 1.2 this morning, and these mornings are starting to get chilly. It's a little too early for that, too! My after-lunch flight in the Champ canceled, which wasn't bad since it was a blustery crosswind, which he didn't need. The final flight of the day was to St. Louis and back, and Steve went with me this time in the 340. We had an empty plane to St. Louis, and he left-seated that, and then I left-seated the trip home while he did the talking.
It's Friday, but I didn't get home until 8 pm, and we'll be back up pretty early tomorrow morning, so it doesn't really feel like a weekend yet...
Some quotes:
A lighthearted one that any true reader will understand. :)
"That moment when you finish a book, look around, and realize that everyone is just carrying on with their lives as though you didn't just experience emotional trauma at the hands of a paperback."
A not-lighthearted one at all is next. I don't know what this source is, but their description of going through a trauma is spot on as far as I'm concerned, not feeling anything at first, just a giant pause while your whole world stops for a second. I'm not sure if it's good or bad that after the first one or two tragedies, that suspension comes to an end a lot faster than the first time it happens:
"In the presence of real tragedy you feel neither pain nor joy nor hatred, only a sense of enormous space and time suspended, the great doors open to black eternity, the rising across the terrible field of that last enormous, unanswerable question."
This quote, embarrassingly, came from Kathie Lee Gifford on Good Morning America. Regardless of the source, the quote rings true:
"Love makes room for the other person’s dreams."
It's Friday, but I didn't get home until 8 pm, and we'll be back up pretty early tomorrow morning, so it doesn't really feel like a weekend yet...
Some quotes:
A lighthearted one that any true reader will understand. :)
"That moment when you finish a book, look around, and realize that everyone is just carrying on with their lives as though you didn't just experience emotional trauma at the hands of a paperback."
A not-lighthearted one at all is next. I don't know what this source is, but their description of going through a trauma is spot on as far as I'm concerned, not feeling anything at first, just a giant pause while your whole world stops for a second. I'm not sure if it's good or bad that after the first one or two tragedies, that suspension comes to an end a lot faster than the first time it happens:
"In the presence of real tragedy you feel neither pain nor joy nor hatred, only a sense of enormous space and time suspended, the great doors open to black eternity, the rising across the terrible field of that last enormous, unanswerable question."
This quote, embarrassingly, came from Kathie Lee Gifford on Good Morning America. Regardless of the source, the quote rings true:
"Love makes room for the other person’s dreams."
Monday, October 08, 2012
Back To It
I'm so drowsy I'm having trouble focusing long enough to write. I guess Mondays can do that to you, particularly Mondays where you get up at 5:15 in the morning after having trouble falling asleep the night before. :)
The stars were still out and bright when I got the 340 out for the trip to St. Louis this morning. The sun was just coming up and hitting the Arch when we got there, and it was a clear, smooth morning, just really pretty flying. I was home by 10:15 a.m., in plenty of time to get the plane ready for tomorrow's flight back out there. I used today as a good practice day--on the way out of St. Louis, I decided to hand fly everything until I was up at altitude and bored. They kept me busy enough with heading and altitude and frequency changes almost constantly, usually at the same time, then had me intercept a leg of the departure, all good stuff, and easy enough. There is only one time that it's tougher to hand fly that plane, and that's when you're switching fuel tanks. The selectors are on the floor, I can't see them without bending way over, and you can't just feel them real well because there aren't any indents, and if you miss, you'll kill your engine. So being bent over sideways with your eyes on the floor is not a great way to stay straight and level. Not the best fuel management system, particularly since you have to switch tanks so many times in there if you're going any distance, but it works. On the way back into Kokomo I had them give me the ILS 23 so I could get one of those in too, set it up to verbally announce "minimums", all of it. It's still really really hard to goof up an approach on that G500. I think next time I'll turn off the G500 and try to fly off the right side instruments...in VFR conditions first. ;)
This afternoon I had a flight in the Champ out at Glenndale, doing a little crosswind learning-to-land take offs and landings. The winds weren't real strong, but they were very variable and lightly gusty, and down by the trees it was throwing the poor little Champ around a little bit. I kind of enjoyed the thought that I started off the day in the IFR system in a pressurized twin in busy Class B airspace and ended the day in an airplane I had to hand prop, no radio at all, off a grass strip. Two different ends of the flying spectrum, and both fun in their own ways.
There was something else I was going to talk about, but I'm so sleepy I've been staring at this for an hour and drawing a blank. So, flying it is for today, sorry, and on to tomorrow.
These are two good quotes for the day, one old and one new to me, good reminders if someone is feeling...small...unsure...not quite themselves...
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"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength." ~Author Unknown
Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow."
The stars were still out and bright when I got the 340 out for the trip to St. Louis this morning. The sun was just coming up and hitting the Arch when we got there, and it was a clear, smooth morning, just really pretty flying. I was home by 10:15 a.m., in plenty of time to get the plane ready for tomorrow's flight back out there. I used today as a good practice day--on the way out of St. Louis, I decided to hand fly everything until I was up at altitude and bored. They kept me busy enough with heading and altitude and frequency changes almost constantly, usually at the same time, then had me intercept a leg of the departure, all good stuff, and easy enough. There is only one time that it's tougher to hand fly that plane, and that's when you're switching fuel tanks. The selectors are on the floor, I can't see them without bending way over, and you can't just feel them real well because there aren't any indents, and if you miss, you'll kill your engine. So being bent over sideways with your eyes on the floor is not a great way to stay straight and level. Not the best fuel management system, particularly since you have to switch tanks so many times in there if you're going any distance, but it works. On the way back into Kokomo I had them give me the ILS 23 so I could get one of those in too, set it up to verbally announce "minimums", all of it. It's still really really hard to goof up an approach on that G500. I think next time I'll turn off the G500 and try to fly off the right side instruments...in VFR conditions first. ;)
This afternoon I had a flight in the Champ out at Glenndale, doing a little crosswind learning-to-land take offs and landings. The winds weren't real strong, but they were very variable and lightly gusty, and down by the trees it was throwing the poor little Champ around a little bit. I kind of enjoyed the thought that I started off the day in the IFR system in a pressurized twin in busy Class B airspace and ended the day in an airplane I had to hand prop, no radio at all, off a grass strip. Two different ends of the flying spectrum, and both fun in their own ways.
There was something else I was going to talk about, but I'm so sleepy I've been staring at this for an hour and drawing a blank. So, flying it is for today, sorry, and on to tomorrow.
These are two good quotes for the day, one old and one new to me, good reminders if someone is feeling...small...unsure...not quite themselves...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength." ~Author Unknown
Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow."
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
I Needed That
I had a lesson this morning in the 172, but about an hour before I had to get up, I woke up to the sound of rain. I was too sleepy to look, so I went back to sleep figuring the shower would move on. An hour later I got a text from my student, pushing us back to 1:30 thanks to the continuing rain. So I slept in, and I did not get out of bed until 10 a.m. And I needed that. I felt a lot better when I finally got going!
I worked a lot today on putting things...back. Laundry, dishes, unpacking, email catch-up, a few letters I needed to write, some errands, all the daily things that really pile up on you when you're gone. I'm still not done. In fact, I've done laundry all day, and haven't even gotten to the laundry that's actually in the main laundry basket. Now that's a lotta laundry!
Kaylee still has control over my iPad as she's re-reading the Hunger Games. At least she's on the last book now, so I should have my iPad back by tomorrow...
This quote was from a warbird guy, a truth worth listening to: "I often tell our upcoming young adults that success can be related to the game of Golf. Everyone hits it out of bounds or into the rough. It's how you recover that makes you a professional." Of course, if you hit it out of bounds too frequently, you might want to consider a different game. Unless you're a weatherman. ;)
Watching Olympics, still working on laundry, sending some thank you notes and sending on some pictures to people, finishing up putting away from Oshkosh and getting ready to pack for the next adventure--Arkansas!
I worked a lot today on putting things...back. Laundry, dishes, unpacking, email catch-up, a few letters I needed to write, some errands, all the daily things that really pile up on you when you're gone. I'm still not done. In fact, I've done laundry all day, and haven't even gotten to the laundry that's actually in the main laundry basket. Now that's a lotta laundry!
Kaylee still has control over my iPad as she's re-reading the Hunger Games. At least she's on the last book now, so I should have my iPad back by tomorrow...
This quote was from a warbird guy, a truth worth listening to: "I often tell our upcoming young adults that success can be related to the game of Golf. Everyone hits it out of bounds or into the rough. It's how you recover that makes you a professional." Of course, if you hit it out of bounds too frequently, you might want to consider a different game. Unless you're a weatherman. ;)
Watching Olympics, still working on laundry, sending some thank you notes and sending on some pictures to people, finishing up putting away from Oshkosh and getting ready to pack for the next adventure--Arkansas!
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