(starts slightly political, then moves on.. consider yourself warned).
I was thinking the other night, when's the last time there was a news story on the major networks about the "Ground Zero" Mosque??? A quick web search shows that there have been stories written recently, mainly about the request the developer made for federal funds. But I can't remember the last time I saw a news story on TV about it. I suppose it's not important anymore, since it's no longer a rallying point for politician A or religious group B or whom ever. In a recent diatribe my brother emailed out, he asked if "they think we're all idiots?". Well, "they" do... and "we" the public tend to provide "them" overwhelming evidence to prove the point.
"We" are rallied to the cause of lower taxes and a balanced budget, but we need a strong military and bridges that don't randomly fall down. But don't touch our medicare or Social Security or the people who vote the most (seniors) will cut you at the knees (they can't reach much higher). Every politician seems to demand cuts in spending, just not in the areas that profit their constituents (or them directly). And with so many people running for congressional term limits and a ban on lobbying in the past it's a wonder neither have happened... oh wait... it's not.
But hey, you can still get a rub-tug form the TSA... I have a feeling that the incoming Congress is going to be as big of a disappointment as the last one. Prove me wrong.
OK, enough of that crap.
I cleaned out 600 email messages last night. Damn Grace writes a lot of blogs. I also found a lot of messages I wanted to keep for sentimental reasons (again, damn Grace rights a lot of blogs). Remember the old days of keeping old letters in a shoebox, only to find them during that once a decade deep clean or move? I guess the modern equivalent is a file folder of messages sent long ago.
Other news, I have to be in HKG by 6 PM on the 28th. ANd off to Viet-F'n-Nam. I'm really looking forward to adding another country to my list, and another HRC pin to my collection. Oh, and seeing the Lewii... and by then the TanJoe's.
Last night, it snowed. I was thinking some flurries and maybe just some showers. But no, it actually snowed and stuck around. There's still some out on the grass in shaded areas. I'm not ready for winter. If my plan A doesn't come through I think I'm gonna invest in a remote start for my car. I even had to break out the scarf to walk to the coffee house. Ugh!
I suppose I need to finish this up and head back. I gotta catch the first half of the Iron Bowl. WAR EAGLE!
I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and are getting revved up for the Christmas season madness. Later.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
They're going the distance, they're going for speed.
Almost everyone knows i have no particular desire to own, ride, groom, stable, train, break, or otherwise interact with equine species. With one exception. I like to go watch them run around a track. My mother would be so proud that I've taken a passing interest in some kind of horse related activity, though probably not so enamored that it involves gambling, bourbon, and occasional cigars.
SO, this will be a short one, since I'm low on battery life. But a recap, went to Churchill for Angela's birthday. Her hubbie and my coworker planned a little surprise gathering in the box seats overlooking the finish line. Nice! SInce they themed the night "Mad for Plaid", I had to dress accordingly. Unfortunately I seem to lack an abundance of plaid wardrobery (its a word look it up). After a trip to some sale racks, I came away with a well coorindated ensemble for the event. Well coordianated that is for a fashion impaired straight man. On the sale racks, a plaid tie, a plaid hat, and a new Tommy Hilfiger shirt... not plaid, but a bright pink....
Oh yeah, I'm styling now.
I was actually quite amused, and may make a habit out of the hat, the response seemed to be very positive.
I did have a wee bt more to drink than I probably should of, hence the day of couch time that followed. I would like to think the fine people who created CityScoot for getting me safely home. A great idea! For slightly more than cab fare, they come get you and your car and drive you home. Brilliant!
So, not being able to sleep last night, I started thinking about stuff. Looks like the Delta option isn't going to work out anytime. The upside is I "think" I'm going to be OK for the next year where I'm at, ie no furlough. But who knows?? But since it's all the rage to move from ATL to SGN, I'm running out of crashpads in the deep south. SO, I'm thinking of way to rectify that. SO, we'll see...
Yes I'm being slightly obtuse, but I kind of like things to be all worked out before making big public declarations.
And a final thought, I'm not a fan at all of winter. But if you have to find a silver lining in the cold grey clouds it's that women break out the "hooker" boots. And that's something I'm a fan of.
SO, this will be a short one, since I'm low on battery life. But a recap, went to Churchill for Angela's birthday. Her hubbie and my coworker planned a little surprise gathering in the box seats overlooking the finish line. Nice! SInce they themed the night "Mad for Plaid", I had to dress accordingly. Unfortunately I seem to lack an abundance of plaid wardrobery (its a word look it up). After a trip to some sale racks, I came away with a well coorindated ensemble for the event. Well coordianated that is for a fashion impaired straight man. On the sale racks, a plaid tie, a plaid hat, and a new Tommy Hilfiger shirt... not plaid, but a bright pink....
Oh yeah, I'm styling now.
I was actually quite amused, and may make a habit out of the hat, the response seemed to be very positive.
I did have a wee bt more to drink than I probably should of, hence the day of couch time that followed. I would like to think the fine people who created CityScoot for getting me safely home. A great idea! For slightly more than cab fare, they come get you and your car and drive you home. Brilliant!
So, not being able to sleep last night, I started thinking about stuff. Looks like the Delta option isn't going to work out anytime. The upside is I "think" I'm going to be OK for the next year where I'm at, ie no furlough. But who knows?? But since it's all the rage to move from ATL to SGN, I'm running out of crashpads in the deep south. SO, I'm thinking of way to rectify that. SO, we'll see...
Yes I'm being slightly obtuse, but I kind of like things to be all worked out before making big public declarations.
And a final thought, I'm not a fan at all of winter. But if you have to find a silver lining in the cold grey clouds it's that women break out the "hooker" boots. And that's something I'm a fan of.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Life's too short to mind, just keep on with the sweet up and down.
So, I'm another year older, though it feels like each one takes a little more out of me. I woke up Tuesday with a hurty foot... really. I can injure myself in my sleep?? Great, and I love sleeping so much it's hard to give that one up.
After a trying week last week, being back in Louisville and working is kind of a relief. Yes, I did have a great time with all my friends who made it to TanJoe manor for the gathering and hot tubbing. Unfortunately (for everyone but them and the Lewii) they've decided to move to the toher side of the planet. I'm selfishly hating that while simultaneously turning green with envy for the second time in the last few months. I imagine I'll get a wish list when I trek over after Christmas filled with those things they may have overlooked on Tanya's many lists.
I do wish them safe travels and good luck on the endeavor... even if it means separation from my special some one for a year (that's you Joe) and, more heart wrenching, no Mac and Mandy to teach bad habits.
One of the many high points of last week was my hot date to a GT football game. Maggie was nice enough to escort me to see the Yellow Jackets get soundly smite by the Hurricanes of Miami. But that's not important. it was nice to sit out in the sun and be back on campus again. They seem to keep throwing buildings up there. Keep in mind I haven't really been back on campus in almost 10 years, so I suppose some construction is to be expected.
Maggie and I drove around and pointed out the buildings that held some weird trivial facts or quirky memory. Of course, they seem to have remodeled most of them so the places I used to sleep between, or to often during, classes are gone. I do wish I had not been a commuter, and should I ever have kids I'm demanding they go away to college. I'm not going to pay for it, but I'm going to make them.
I thinkt he most amusing conversation was along the lines of "remember being here and having such wild eyed optimism about the possibilities ahead?? What happened??" Damn you adulthood for taking our fun irresponsibility away. Or maybe it was EMAG. the F i ever received. That class sucked. Part of the reason I changed majors from engineering (between the quesrter with EMAG, Calc 5, and Statics... I was ready to climb Tech Tower with a high powered rifle).
But the upside was the adventure of underage drinking, the fun of football in the south, and knowing you could wear pajama pants to class and it was socially acceptable. Ahhh youth.
But now we're all grown up, well.. some more so than others. I'm still doing well at shunning most the responsibility and trappings of adulthood.
Other highlights of last week. hot tubbing with some hotties, sitting at the table beside Kanye (who may or may not have interrupted our converstion to tell us how much better Beyonce's conversation is), Burger and beer at the Vortex with ET, drinks with the old boss, and movie watching with with my fake GF. Despite some challenges, it was a really good birthday week.
Well, work tonight. It's only going tog et ore stressful and ludicrous from here on out. Peak season is just starting up, winter weather fun is kicking in, and we're gonna be shorthanded (Congrats Mutt, we just wnat you to know, we're all counting on you!) due to some shortsightedness on our management part. A perfect storm for bitching about work blogs. Look forward to it.
After a trying week last week, being back in Louisville and working is kind of a relief. Yes, I did have a great time with all my friends who made it to TanJoe manor for the gathering and hot tubbing. Unfortunately (for everyone but them and the Lewii) they've decided to move to the toher side of the planet. I'm selfishly hating that while simultaneously turning green with envy for the second time in the last few months. I imagine I'll get a wish list when I trek over after Christmas filled with those things they may have overlooked on Tanya's many lists.
I do wish them safe travels and good luck on the endeavor... even if it means separation from my special some one for a year (that's you Joe) and, more heart wrenching, no Mac and Mandy to teach bad habits.
One of the many high points of last week was my hot date to a GT football game. Maggie was nice enough to escort me to see the Yellow Jackets get soundly smite by the Hurricanes of Miami. But that's not important. it was nice to sit out in the sun and be back on campus again. They seem to keep throwing buildings up there. Keep in mind I haven't really been back on campus in almost 10 years, so I suppose some construction is to be expected.
Maggie and I drove around and pointed out the buildings that held some weird trivial facts or quirky memory. Of course, they seem to have remodeled most of them so the places I used to sleep between, or to often during, classes are gone. I do wish I had not been a commuter, and should I ever have kids I'm demanding they go away to college. I'm not going to pay for it, but I'm going to make them.
I thinkt he most amusing conversation was along the lines of "remember being here and having such wild eyed optimism about the possibilities ahead?? What happened??" Damn you adulthood for taking our fun irresponsibility away. Or maybe it was EMAG. the F i ever received. That class sucked. Part of the reason I changed majors from engineering (between the quesrter with EMAG, Calc 5, and Statics... I was ready to climb Tech Tower with a high powered rifle).
But the upside was the adventure of underage drinking, the fun of football in the south, and knowing you could wear pajama pants to class and it was socially acceptable. Ahhh youth.
But now we're all grown up, well.. some more so than others. I'm still doing well at shunning most the responsibility and trappings of adulthood.
Other highlights of last week. hot tubbing with some hotties, sitting at the table beside Kanye (who may or may not have interrupted our converstion to tell us how much better Beyonce's conversation is), Burger and beer at the Vortex with ET, drinks with the old boss, and movie watching with with my fake GF. Despite some challenges, it was a really good birthday week.
Well, work tonight. It's only going tog et ore stressful and ludicrous from here on out. Peak season is just starting up, winter weather fun is kicking in, and we're gonna be shorthanded (Congrats Mutt, we just wnat you to know, we're all counting on you!) due to some shortsightedness on our management part. A perfect storm for bitching about work blogs. Look forward to it.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Rest high above the clouds no restrictions, television we bounce 'round the world.
Is it wrong that I judge the clientele of my corner coffee shop by the percentage of Mac's versus PC laptops? At this one, Mac's consistently out number PC's, making it uber cool. Am I some sort of computer racist??
I spent a few days back in Atlanta last week. As usual, I had a great time visiting with friends. This visit ended the longest streak away from home since I moved, almost 2 months. I saw a lot of folks, imbibed a good bit of libation, and had a general great time. My mental health seems to improve when I'm down there. If only a major international airline headquartered in the Atlanta area who was rumored to be hiring dispatchers soon would call me up...
I also spent some time conversing with mom. She has been having some mysterious health issues of late... and no one seems to know what it is. But the parts they checked seem to be in great shape (really, only 30% artery blockage for a 68 year old who smoked for 40 years and was raised on deep south deep fried goodness... good job!)
We talked a little bit about where things have come in her life. For instance I'm sitting here having coffee, a bran bagel, and a banana. All are proudly proclaiming to be organic, which as far as I know means they were raised without human designed chemical additives. Mother, on the other hand, grew up with EVERYTHING being organic, cause that's how it was. They grew all the vegetables, and I'm thinking there was no DDT involved. The meat was fresh from the slaughtered cow or pig, which didn't have any growth hormones injected in them. "Farm fresh" eggs really were farm fresh, and usually brought in that morning.
Today we pay a premium for this type of food. Oh the irony. Of course you could grow it yourself if you have land and time. Figure that's what you did, and grand dad did. Of course having slave labor in the form of 9 children (plus a couple others they raised) helps, but you have to feed them. But there was no daycare, or needing the latest gadgets or fashion. Clothes were made. A trip form Dahlonega to Atlanta was an epic event involving wagons or loading the whole family in the one vehicle... usually a log truck. They may as well been setting off with Odysseus to invade Troy. Today it's an hour and a half on a 4 lane road through a series of never ending outlet stores.
Mom remembers when they got electricity in the house. There was one wire in the kitchen that held a single bulb. Above the bulb were one or two plugs for appliances and what not. Then came the radio. Remember that thing we used to listen to in the car before iPods and CD's? I guess that explains why mom, and the older generation in general, are voracious readers. That's what you had to do at night.
I can proudly proclaim that our family was one of the first in the area to get a television ("this thing will never take off"). It was a huge monstrosity of a thing, a cabinet the size of a large bureau. Seriously, it was massive, and with a screen probably no larger than the laptop screen I'm typing on. Saturday nights, chairs were lined up in the Dowdy house for the kids and neighbors to enjoy the broadcast from the Grand Ole Opry. That's it, one channel, one show.
In contrast, by roughly the same age I had a computer (it was a Commodore 128 but still), cable (only about 50 channels back then... the horror), all kinds of portable electronic paraphenalia, a microwave to cook the food we bought in the grocery store. Mom was impressed with not having to grow her own food (she still does prefer home grown tomatoes form her "garden" or fresh grown veggies), I was impressed when I went into the first supermarket that I could get anything fruit or vegetable from anywhere in the world (what the hell is an eggplant.. an egg isn't a plant!).
Remember that thing we all read about in history class called the space race?? For you younger types, there used to be this country called the Soviet Union who was out to destroy the American way of life. But since going to direct war was akin to suicide, we raced to prove who was better in different ways. One way of proving superiority was to see who could build the bigger rocket and penetrate deeper into the dark recesses of space (hrrmmm, think men were in charge of this one?). SO we launched rockets with radio transmitters and monkeys and dogs and finally people up there. We even went to the moon (allegedly). Mom, I think, believes the moon landing was real, though I got the impression she was skeptical. Her aunts, no way. Which is completely logical. Imagine growing up when the steam locomotive was the most advanced and fasted form of travel. And in the span of a single life time, suddenly we can fly a man 5 times the speed of sound to the moon? No effin way! Actually, the great aunts believed whole heartedly that the launching of these rockets were going to cause the weather to go crazy and crops to fail... maybe she knew something about global warming then?
It's easy for us modern educated people to ridicule such beliefs because we grew up with it as fact. For me, thinking back about 15 years ago and seeing those first cell phones that had a bag you carried around with them and trying to imagine I'd have something like an iPhone and all its mystical powers was crazy talk. Or that you watched too much Star Trek. But there it is, right in front of me.
Or even this internet thing. We all love the interwebs! You wanna look something up, a few buttons pushed and you have everything you ever wanted to know about South African Fruit Trees or any other ridiculous topic. Want to know the weather in Djibouti? We got it (currently 83F, clear, calm winds and 58% humidity). Want to know how the city council race in Boonkoodle Mississippi went? We got it! Who remembers an encyclopedia??? The book ones?? When was the last time you guys picked up a book to do research?
So, now we have the modern world, when a generation ago Paris was an unachievable destination (I've been), Australia was a mythical land (well, true, but I've been a few times), and i can talk to anyone on the planet from anywhere on the planet... well almost anywhere, I don't have T-mobile signal at Jersey's house in New-Nan. But 5 bars on an island in Thailand was the norm.
Kind of makes me think that in 40 years when I look back at the things I grew up with and try to convey to my kids or grandkids (should I ever procreate) how life was before the internet, or when every phone had a wire and you hated calling people with 0 in the number cause you had to twist that rotor all the way around.
Of course we'll be living on the moon. On a side note is anyone disappointed that we don't have the flying cars and moonbases that we were promised by the year 2000???
It was an interesting conversation, and I really should be more into having them. Of course then it turns to the inevitable "is there anyone special..." conversation. Mom seems to want more grandkids. The current ones are too old. Wait till I tell my youngest niece her grandmothers wants a new kid because she's too old now. I'm thinking this conversation should come up Christmas morning.
Otherwise, I'm working on the planning of my trip to Vietnam. (Why is it I always want to say that like the guy from Forrest Gump "Viet-EFFING -NAM!"). Looks likes like New Years in Saigon is in order. I have to work on getting a visa, which is a pain since I have to surrender my passport for 5 days, and that means no jumpseating for 5 days. But I suppose the Lewii are worth it.
I think I've rambled enough. I'll be back in the ATL on Wednesday. Look for me!
I spent a few days back in Atlanta last week. As usual, I had a great time visiting with friends. This visit ended the longest streak away from home since I moved, almost 2 months. I saw a lot of folks, imbibed a good bit of libation, and had a general great time. My mental health seems to improve when I'm down there. If only a major international airline headquartered in the Atlanta area who was rumored to be hiring dispatchers soon would call me up...
I also spent some time conversing with mom. She has been having some mysterious health issues of late... and no one seems to know what it is. But the parts they checked seem to be in great shape (really, only 30% artery blockage for a 68 year old who smoked for 40 years and was raised on deep south deep fried goodness... good job!)
We talked a little bit about where things have come in her life. For instance I'm sitting here having coffee, a bran bagel, and a banana. All are proudly proclaiming to be organic, which as far as I know means they were raised without human designed chemical additives. Mother, on the other hand, grew up with EVERYTHING being organic, cause that's how it was. They grew all the vegetables, and I'm thinking there was no DDT involved. The meat was fresh from the slaughtered cow or pig, which didn't have any growth hormones injected in them. "Farm fresh" eggs really were farm fresh, and usually brought in that morning.
Today we pay a premium for this type of food. Oh the irony. Of course you could grow it yourself if you have land and time. Figure that's what you did, and grand dad did. Of course having slave labor in the form of 9 children (plus a couple others they raised) helps, but you have to feed them. But there was no daycare, or needing the latest gadgets or fashion. Clothes were made. A trip form Dahlonega to Atlanta was an epic event involving wagons or loading the whole family in the one vehicle... usually a log truck. They may as well been setting off with Odysseus to invade Troy. Today it's an hour and a half on a 4 lane road through a series of never ending outlet stores.
Mom remembers when they got electricity in the house. There was one wire in the kitchen that held a single bulb. Above the bulb were one or two plugs for appliances and what not. Then came the radio. Remember that thing we used to listen to in the car before iPods and CD's? I guess that explains why mom, and the older generation in general, are voracious readers. That's what you had to do at night.
I can proudly proclaim that our family was one of the first in the area to get a television ("this thing will never take off"). It was a huge monstrosity of a thing, a cabinet the size of a large bureau. Seriously, it was massive, and with a screen probably no larger than the laptop screen I'm typing on. Saturday nights, chairs were lined up in the Dowdy house for the kids and neighbors to enjoy the broadcast from the Grand Ole Opry. That's it, one channel, one show.
In contrast, by roughly the same age I had a computer (it was a Commodore 128 but still), cable (only about 50 channels back then... the horror), all kinds of portable electronic paraphenalia, a microwave to cook the food we bought in the grocery store. Mom was impressed with not having to grow her own food (she still does prefer home grown tomatoes form her "garden" or fresh grown veggies), I was impressed when I went into the first supermarket that I could get anything fruit or vegetable from anywhere in the world (what the hell is an eggplant.. an egg isn't a plant!).
Remember that thing we all read about in history class called the space race?? For you younger types, there used to be this country called the Soviet Union who was out to destroy the American way of life. But since going to direct war was akin to suicide, we raced to prove who was better in different ways. One way of proving superiority was to see who could build the bigger rocket and penetrate deeper into the dark recesses of space (hrrmmm, think men were in charge of this one?). SO we launched rockets with radio transmitters and monkeys and dogs and finally people up there. We even went to the moon (allegedly). Mom, I think, believes the moon landing was real, though I got the impression she was skeptical. Her aunts, no way. Which is completely logical. Imagine growing up when the steam locomotive was the most advanced and fasted form of travel. And in the span of a single life time, suddenly we can fly a man 5 times the speed of sound to the moon? No effin way! Actually, the great aunts believed whole heartedly that the launching of these rockets were going to cause the weather to go crazy and crops to fail... maybe she knew something about global warming then?
It's easy for us modern educated people to ridicule such beliefs because we grew up with it as fact. For me, thinking back about 15 years ago and seeing those first cell phones that had a bag you carried around with them and trying to imagine I'd have something like an iPhone and all its mystical powers was crazy talk. Or that you watched too much Star Trek. But there it is, right in front of me.
Or even this internet thing. We all love the interwebs! You wanna look something up, a few buttons pushed and you have everything you ever wanted to know about South African Fruit Trees or any other ridiculous topic. Want to know the weather in Djibouti? We got it (currently 83F, clear, calm winds and 58% humidity). Want to know how the city council race in Boonkoodle Mississippi went? We got it! Who remembers an encyclopedia??? The book ones?? When was the last time you guys picked up a book to do research?
So, now we have the modern world, when a generation ago Paris was an unachievable destination (I've been), Australia was a mythical land (well, true, but I've been a few times), and i can talk to anyone on the planet from anywhere on the planet... well almost anywhere, I don't have T-mobile signal at Jersey's house in New-Nan. But 5 bars on an island in Thailand was the norm.
Kind of makes me think that in 40 years when I look back at the things I grew up with and try to convey to my kids or grandkids (should I ever procreate) how life was before the internet, or when every phone had a wire and you hated calling people with 0 in the number cause you had to twist that rotor all the way around.
Of course we'll be living on the moon. On a side note is anyone disappointed that we don't have the flying cars and moonbases that we were promised by the year 2000???
It was an interesting conversation, and I really should be more into having them. Of course then it turns to the inevitable "is there anyone special..." conversation. Mom seems to want more grandkids. The current ones are too old. Wait till I tell my youngest niece her grandmothers wants a new kid because she's too old now. I'm thinking this conversation should come up Christmas morning.
Otherwise, I'm working on the planning of my trip to Vietnam. (Why is it I always want to say that like the guy from Forrest Gump "Viet-EFFING -NAM!"). Looks likes like New Years in Saigon is in order. I have to work on getting a visa, which is a pain since I have to surrender my passport for 5 days, and that means no jumpseating for 5 days. But I suppose the Lewii are worth it.
I think I've rambled enough. I'll be back in the ATL on Wednesday. Look for me!
Friday, October 22, 2010
COffee of the Day is Guatamalen Blend, Description: tastes like coffee
That's the sign at the coffee shop today.
I was going through my email inbox a couple days ago looking for a particular email that contained some very important information that was needed exactly at that moment. I found a lot of emails from a lot of people, and for some reason, usually laziness, I haven't bothered to delete. Some of these emails go back to 2002, but I suspect there are some that may have been sitting there for longer, just having been forwarded from another older email account. All in all, this particular inbox contains 670ish emails at any given time. This doesn't account for the 150 or so that have separated into various folders with clever names like "stuff i should save." OK, so that's the only cleverly named one.
My other email, that is used for the less personal things (ie when I sign up for any new website to buy whatever, it get's this email address) is pushing 1000 messages... again mostly crap. Every now and again, I go on a tear and delete a massive block of messages. Facebook is the current object of my deleting wrath. For whatever reason, those messages from facebook pile up. Most the time I delete them, but occasionally something from some one else comes in on top of that message in the queue. And slowly it gets pushed down out of my view. Apparently anything not in the 10 latest received seems to be pushed below my first glance, and thus is destined to sit there for months. This also is a probelm if I don't reply to a message immediately, within a day it's moved out of site and thus out of mind.
The Facebook messages are easy to part with, but others seem to kick in my need to cyber-hoard them until some day I deemed them completely unneeded. For instance, ordering info to get discounts on apparel from a company I haven't worked for in 6 years. The discount code, last I checked, still worked.
There are of course some messages that I have no intention of parting with. Some of them are really uplifting, really funny, or just bring back some great memories. Some, not so great memories and I usually run across those at times when I least expect it, a sort of "I thought I cleansed you from my life but you pop up again" instance. Of course curiosity gets the best of me and I start reading it, in the event there's some morsel of information that I need in there for my benefit, or potentially to use against said person should they ever run for president.
Sometimes it's hard to let go, especially messages from friends who, for whatever reason, you've lost total track of or who have passed away. Kind of makes you think, wonder where they are today? Or more fun, the random emails some one sent me, before I actually met her in person, chronicling a trip around Europe. It's also fascinating how many emails I send myself. SO much for that great memory.
OK, now to shift some gears. I feel like I've been hearting logistics way too much lately, and frankly I'm over it. I spent my last day "off" shuttling to Texas and back. I had a job interview down in the Republic. It's a well known airline and they have a reputation for being a fun place to work... you know treating their employees like people and not liabilities. I think I did OK, but there was a knowledge test that kicked off the session and it left me feeling a little dumb.
Now, way back when in 2001 when I wen through Aircraft Dispatch class, they taught us all this stuff in a 10 week or so period about aviation, navigation, meteorology, regulations, and other various stuff. We were to ingest this knowledge stream, in the way one might ingest water from a fire hose, and at the end of the course regurgitate this vast amount of information during a 4-5 hour long interrogation with a gentleman from the FAA. He then deemed us worthy or unfit to receive the prize of our quest, an FAA Aircraft Dispatcher certificate. Once obtain, riches beyond imagine awaited us in our future.
Like most instances of higher learning, I've found that the basics of the theory are often not required to do the mechanics of the job. It's like not really needing to know the endothermic properties of beef in order to cook a perfect fillet. Such has it become in my job. I don't need to read wind/temperature charts anymore to do a flight plan, I've got a snazzy flight planning computer program that does all that.. sometimes. The day I took my FAA oral and practical exam, when it was all over the examiner remarked "Congrats, you've done the last manual flight plan you'll ever do." He was almost right, I think I've done one as a training exercise since.
So back to the test, the questions on it were basic info I should know, or did know, the day I walked out of dispatch class. Unfortunately, the modern paradigm of punching out 30 or so flight plans usually doesn't lend itself to much more than click this, click that, send, and file. Who gets out a chart???? (For non aviation types, a chart is a what we in aviation call a map. Sounds more impressive... which would you rather hear form the cockpit "We've pulled out our charts and worked a new route" or "We got the map out and are trying to find a way to Boise"?)
And with much sadness, I have to relate I didn't ace this particular test. I missed at least 3 of the 63 questions (it was a timed test, but it wouldn't have mattered if it wasn't). Back at my first dispatch job, we lived in the charts. Why??? It was a small carrier, the flight planning system wasn't one that took into account everything (my current one allegedly does but we keep finding little things that it occasionally forgets... luckily nothing major), or our aircraft weren't equipped with all the new super whiz-bang avionics for navigation so we had to go the old fashioned way (from radio beacon to radio beacon on the ground). Now, I have planes with GPS, IRUs, RNP, RNAV, and a whole bunch of other combination of letters that basically mean we can fly from point to point across the sky with no regard for anything on the ground, except for the place they're landing. I don't look at what causes a particular weather phenomena, but more that it's foggy and some meteorologist says it won't be at a certain time. Even if it's foggy, most big airplanes at big airports can land and the pilots never see the runway until.. well the wheels touch down. So know what causes advection fog to rise into a low level of clouds really doesn't figure into my everyday work. It's good trivia though. Even that it's advection fog versus radiational fog versus upslope fog isn't really that important, it's fog and it makes it hard to see thus increasing the spacing requirements for landing and slowing down the arrival rate. That's important.
That being said, there's currently a brown airplane flying around with an inop piece of equipment that precludes using all the whiz-bang hi-tech computers to navigate with. So, it's back to the dark ages of airways and radio beacons. And when anyone gets that particular airplane, groans follow. Apparently I'm not the only one who needs to clear the cob webs to pull out a chart, and plot out a route from navaid to navaid. Some are less successful than others (frightening), I imagine the pilots are even less enthused, no more following the "magenta line" (its a little line on a screen in the cockpit that represents the intended route of flight, and basically you just keep the crosshairs on it and go forth.. the computer calculating all the course corrections for wind and directions and all... basically the pilots have to aviate Lindbergh style).
So, the next job interview (and there will be a next one) I'll have to study for. There's volumes of information to ingest again, or to learn to recall from the cobweb covered recesses of my brain.
Otherwise the interview went OK, but I'm not sure it's a change I want to make, for various reasons. But it's good practice and I'll learn and be better when that dream job comes up, though I'm not sure the "lottery winner" position has an extensive interview process.
Now that I've thoroughly bored everyone... it's time to wrap it up and forage for food before work tonight. Look for me in the ATL metro area starting Wednesday for a few days..
I was going through my email inbox a couple days ago looking for a particular email that contained some very important information that was needed exactly at that moment. I found a lot of emails from a lot of people, and for some reason, usually laziness, I haven't bothered to delete. Some of these emails go back to 2002, but I suspect there are some that may have been sitting there for longer, just having been forwarded from another older email account. All in all, this particular inbox contains 670ish emails at any given time. This doesn't account for the 150 or so that have separated into various folders with clever names like "stuff i should save." OK, so that's the only cleverly named one.
My other email, that is used for the less personal things (ie when I sign up for any new website to buy whatever, it get's this email address) is pushing 1000 messages... again mostly crap. Every now and again, I go on a tear and delete a massive block of messages. Facebook is the current object of my deleting wrath. For whatever reason, those messages from facebook pile up. Most the time I delete them, but occasionally something from some one else comes in on top of that message in the queue. And slowly it gets pushed down out of my view. Apparently anything not in the 10 latest received seems to be pushed below my first glance, and thus is destined to sit there for months. This also is a probelm if I don't reply to a message immediately, within a day it's moved out of site and thus out of mind.
The Facebook messages are easy to part with, but others seem to kick in my need to cyber-hoard them until some day I deemed them completely unneeded. For instance, ordering info to get discounts on apparel from a company I haven't worked for in 6 years. The discount code, last I checked, still worked.
There are of course some messages that I have no intention of parting with. Some of them are really uplifting, really funny, or just bring back some great memories. Some, not so great memories and I usually run across those at times when I least expect it, a sort of "I thought I cleansed you from my life but you pop up again" instance. Of course curiosity gets the best of me and I start reading it, in the event there's some morsel of information that I need in there for my benefit, or potentially to use against said person should they ever run for president.
Sometimes it's hard to let go, especially messages from friends who, for whatever reason, you've lost total track of or who have passed away. Kind of makes you think, wonder where they are today? Or more fun, the random emails some one sent me, before I actually met her in person, chronicling a trip around Europe. It's also fascinating how many emails I send myself. SO much for that great memory.
OK, now to shift some gears. I feel like I've been hearting logistics way too much lately, and frankly I'm over it. I spent my last day "off" shuttling to Texas and back. I had a job interview down in the Republic. It's a well known airline and they have a reputation for being a fun place to work... you know treating their employees like people and not liabilities. I think I did OK, but there was a knowledge test that kicked off the session and it left me feeling a little dumb.
Now, way back when in 2001 when I wen through Aircraft Dispatch class, they taught us all this stuff in a 10 week or so period about aviation, navigation, meteorology, regulations, and other various stuff. We were to ingest this knowledge stream, in the way one might ingest water from a fire hose, and at the end of the course regurgitate this vast amount of information during a 4-5 hour long interrogation with a gentleman from the FAA. He then deemed us worthy or unfit to receive the prize of our quest, an FAA Aircraft Dispatcher certificate. Once obtain, riches beyond imagine awaited us in our future.
Like most instances of higher learning, I've found that the basics of the theory are often not required to do the mechanics of the job. It's like not really needing to know the endothermic properties of beef in order to cook a perfect fillet. Such has it become in my job. I don't need to read wind/temperature charts anymore to do a flight plan, I've got a snazzy flight planning computer program that does all that.. sometimes. The day I took my FAA oral and practical exam, when it was all over the examiner remarked "Congrats, you've done the last manual flight plan you'll ever do." He was almost right, I think I've done one as a training exercise since.
So back to the test, the questions on it were basic info I should know, or did know, the day I walked out of dispatch class. Unfortunately, the modern paradigm of punching out 30 or so flight plans usually doesn't lend itself to much more than click this, click that, send, and file. Who gets out a chart???? (For non aviation types, a chart is a what we in aviation call a map. Sounds more impressive... which would you rather hear form the cockpit "We've pulled out our charts and worked a new route" or "We got the map out and are trying to find a way to Boise"?)
And with much sadness, I have to relate I didn't ace this particular test. I missed at least 3 of the 63 questions (it was a timed test, but it wouldn't have mattered if it wasn't). Back at my first dispatch job, we lived in the charts. Why??? It was a small carrier, the flight planning system wasn't one that took into account everything (my current one allegedly does but we keep finding little things that it occasionally forgets... luckily nothing major), or our aircraft weren't equipped with all the new super whiz-bang avionics for navigation so we had to go the old fashioned way (from radio beacon to radio beacon on the ground). Now, I have planes with GPS, IRUs, RNP, RNAV, and a whole bunch of other combination of letters that basically mean we can fly from point to point across the sky with no regard for anything on the ground, except for the place they're landing. I don't look at what causes a particular weather phenomena, but more that it's foggy and some meteorologist says it won't be at a certain time. Even if it's foggy, most big airplanes at big airports can land and the pilots never see the runway until.. well the wheels touch down. So know what causes advection fog to rise into a low level of clouds really doesn't figure into my everyday work. It's good trivia though. Even that it's advection fog versus radiational fog versus upslope fog isn't really that important, it's fog and it makes it hard to see thus increasing the spacing requirements for landing and slowing down the arrival rate. That's important.
That being said, there's currently a brown airplane flying around with an inop piece of equipment that precludes using all the whiz-bang hi-tech computers to navigate with. So, it's back to the dark ages of airways and radio beacons. And when anyone gets that particular airplane, groans follow. Apparently I'm not the only one who needs to clear the cob webs to pull out a chart, and plot out a route from navaid to navaid. Some are less successful than others (frightening), I imagine the pilots are even less enthused, no more following the "magenta line" (its a little line on a screen in the cockpit that represents the intended route of flight, and basically you just keep the crosshairs on it and go forth.. the computer calculating all the course corrections for wind and directions and all... basically the pilots have to aviate Lindbergh style).
So, the next job interview (and there will be a next one) I'll have to study for. There's volumes of information to ingest again, or to learn to recall from the cobweb covered recesses of my brain.
Otherwise the interview went OK, but I'm not sure it's a change I want to make, for various reasons. But it's good practice and I'll learn and be better when that dream job comes up, though I'm not sure the "lottery winner" position has an extensive interview process.
Now that I've thoroughly bored everyone... it's time to wrap it up and forage for food before work tonight. Look for me in the ATL metro area starting Wednesday for a few days..
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
I've got the whole world here between my fingers and my thumb
One of the things a few of us aerosexuals do at work to pass the time on slow shifts is track random flights. I often will watch flights that I may know some one on when I know they're flying. Grace used to get frequent texts welcoming her to random cities. Charity has become the latest to get the tracking experience when I know she's out there. But last night, one of the coworkers located an interesting flight. Not an airline, but a private plane (we can track almost every civilian airplane flying in US airspace) that had just departed Hilo, Hawaii. The aircraft, a Cessna C-208 was flying to Majuro Atoll.
If you're not familiar with Majuro or can't find it on a map, it's roughly 2400 miles southwest of Hawaii in the Marshall islands. It's essentially a coral atoll with a runway, a few buildings for government contractor to blow things up and test new weapons, and a McDonalds (seriously I read somewhere years ago there's a Mickey D's there).
If you're not familair with the C208, it's a single engine prop plane that carriers maybe 10 people. Now imagine flying solo across 2400 miles of open ocean in a plane with one engine, that's droning on and on, at about 10,000 ft. Oh, at an speed of about 170kts, this is going to be your life for 14 hours. If anything happens... well it's been nice knowing you.
I know a lot of pilots, and I'd say 99% I'd trust with my life, though I wouldn't trust the majority of them to date my niece or a good friend. But I don't know any of them that would up and fly this one. I don't think, some are a little nuts and may agree to it after a few beers. It's a small reminder of how comfortable the general public has come with air travel, and how much of a modern convenience it has become. Very few people think twice about stepping into a pressurized tube that hurdles them through the upper atmosphere at close to the speed of sound.
I just read an article about the first commercial flight across the Pacific Ocean. Next month is the 75th anniversary of the Pan American Airways inaugural service from San Francisco to Manilla in the Philippines. Eventually the route extended to Hong Kong and took over 60 hours to traverse, with a stop at Honolulu, Midway Island, Wake Islane, Guam, and Manilla. The price for this little adventure was about $1700 in 1935, or roughly $25,000 in todays money. You can make the same trip non stop in 14 hours now for $600. But in all fairness, you don't get a private cabin with dressing room and an onboard chef. First class ticket toady only runs about $6000 nonstop.
The flight actually carried more mail than passengers, at about $2 a letter in 1935 (about $30 today) for standard delivery and took the same 60+ hours to get there. Today, i can video chat with Grace (who's eating her way through Vietnam for those who don't read her blog... you should) instantly. Yay technology!
So, now that we zip carefree across the globe, and if that's not quick enough, instant communication is available. I do love my airlines and aviation, which apparently according to family I've been a fan of since i could first say the word "airplane" at an age of roughly 4 months old... ok maybe no that young but close. Airplane wasn't my first word, though I'm sure it had to be fourth or fifth (apparently 1 through 3 were dada, mama, and ambulance... seriously).
One day I'm going to write a blog that will possibly scare most people from flying, based on the everyday goings on in the industry. I'll just say this, some one asked me recently how often I deal with an emergency at work. They were shocked (and possibly appalled... but definitely shocked) when I said about once a week, I hear a flight declare an emergency. DOesn't necessarily mean they are doomed, but just they have an issue that required immediate attention and priority to land. Most the time, I dare say passengers don't even know.
OK, enough of that... I just got back from a weekend in Massachusetts where Tanya and I were graciously hosted by Adri. We spent time trekking through Vermont, New Hampshire, and Mass looking at scenery and changing leaves. It's really quite nice up there this time of year. Tanya and I apparently are still carrying on a torrid affair and this was our romantic getaway. Don't worry, I'm just using her to get to her husband.
One of the amusing things about staying at Adri's is the company she keeps. I like to think I'm of above average intelligence and well educated, but when the room fills with a plethora of PhD candidates I start to feel a bit like a kindergartner in a calculus class. It's not like these guys are being snooty know-it-alls, (it's the opposite) it's just they're like... wow.. I read about particle accelerators, you run them.
But we all have a good time, and this trip I wasn't the token American in the room (there were 3 of us this time). A gathering at Adri's is like convening a meeting at the UN, except we actually accomplish things... like ridding the world of jello shots.
Next trip, dunno yet. I'm working on some things, plus I have to work in a trip to Vietnam, most likely after Christmas. We tossed around the idea of a cae package for the Lewii, so far i'm thinking Sweetwater Blue and microwave popcorn are definitely going. And I'm overdue for a trip to Atlanta. I do have a birthday coming up, so maybe around then. there's als the idea of a Vegas trip in December. I made an adult decision to not buy DMB tickets for the fall show, and just after those sold out a series of Dave and Tim acoustic shows were announced. That may be too much to pass up, and they're in Vegas. Time to reopen Studio 54 at Aria????
That's about it, I have laundry and cleaning to do. Nolen is coming up this weekend for fun and Auburn football and I don't want to look like a slob (regardless that I am one). Later.
If you're not familiar with Majuro or can't find it on a map, it's roughly 2400 miles southwest of Hawaii in the Marshall islands. It's essentially a coral atoll with a runway, a few buildings for government contractor to blow things up and test new weapons, and a McDonalds (seriously I read somewhere years ago there's a Mickey D's there).
If you're not familair with the C208, it's a single engine prop plane that carriers maybe 10 people. Now imagine flying solo across 2400 miles of open ocean in a plane with one engine, that's droning on and on, at about 10,000 ft. Oh, at an speed of about 170kts, this is going to be your life for 14 hours. If anything happens... well it's been nice knowing you.
I know a lot of pilots, and I'd say 99% I'd trust with my life, though I wouldn't trust the majority of them to date my niece or a good friend. But I don't know any of them that would up and fly this one. I don't think, some are a little nuts and may agree to it after a few beers. It's a small reminder of how comfortable the general public has come with air travel, and how much of a modern convenience it has become. Very few people think twice about stepping into a pressurized tube that hurdles them through the upper atmosphere at close to the speed of sound.
I just read an article about the first commercial flight across the Pacific Ocean. Next month is the 75th anniversary of the Pan American Airways inaugural service from San Francisco to Manilla in the Philippines. Eventually the route extended to Hong Kong and took over 60 hours to traverse, with a stop at Honolulu, Midway Island, Wake Islane, Guam, and Manilla. The price for this little adventure was about $1700 in 1935, or roughly $25,000 in todays money. You can make the same trip non stop in 14 hours now for $600. But in all fairness, you don't get a private cabin with dressing room and an onboard chef. First class ticket toady only runs about $6000 nonstop.
The flight actually carried more mail than passengers, at about $2 a letter in 1935 (about $30 today) for standard delivery and took the same 60+ hours to get there. Today, i can video chat with Grace (who's eating her way through Vietnam for those who don't read her blog... you should) instantly. Yay technology!
So, now that we zip carefree across the globe, and if that's not quick enough, instant communication is available. I do love my airlines and aviation, which apparently according to family I've been a fan of since i could first say the word "airplane" at an age of roughly 4 months old... ok maybe no that young but close. Airplane wasn't my first word, though I'm sure it had to be fourth or fifth (apparently 1 through 3 were dada, mama, and ambulance... seriously).
One day I'm going to write a blog that will possibly scare most people from flying, based on the everyday goings on in the industry. I'll just say this, some one asked me recently how often I deal with an emergency at work. They were shocked (and possibly appalled... but definitely shocked) when I said about once a week, I hear a flight declare an emergency. DOesn't necessarily mean they are doomed, but just they have an issue that required immediate attention and priority to land. Most the time, I dare say passengers don't even know.
OK, enough of that... I just got back from a weekend in Massachusetts where Tanya and I were graciously hosted by Adri. We spent time trekking through Vermont, New Hampshire, and Mass looking at scenery and changing leaves. It's really quite nice up there this time of year. Tanya and I apparently are still carrying on a torrid affair and this was our romantic getaway. Don't worry, I'm just using her to get to her husband.
One of the amusing things about staying at Adri's is the company she keeps. I like to think I'm of above average intelligence and well educated, but when the room fills with a plethora of PhD candidates I start to feel a bit like a kindergartner in a calculus class. It's not like these guys are being snooty know-it-alls, (it's the opposite) it's just they're like... wow.. I read about particle accelerators, you run them.
But we all have a good time, and this trip I wasn't the token American in the room (there were 3 of us this time). A gathering at Adri's is like convening a meeting at the UN, except we actually accomplish things... like ridding the world of jello shots.
Next trip, dunno yet. I'm working on some things, plus I have to work in a trip to Vietnam, most likely after Christmas. We tossed around the idea of a cae package for the Lewii, so far i'm thinking Sweetwater Blue and microwave popcorn are definitely going. And I'm overdue for a trip to Atlanta. I do have a birthday coming up, so maybe around then. there's als the idea of a Vegas trip in December. I made an adult decision to not buy DMB tickets for the fall show, and just after those sold out a series of Dave and Tim acoustic shows were announced. That may be too much to pass up, and they're in Vegas. Time to reopen Studio 54 at Aria????
That's about it, I have laundry and cleaning to do. Nolen is coming up this weekend for fun and Auburn football and I don't want to look like a slob (regardless that I am one). Later.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
The first leaves are starting to fall... that means Football!
This is my third blog posting of the week. Yet, the is the first I've written. I've taken on the roll of publisher for the Lewii, since the interwebs in Vietnam seem to be finicky. For this position of great importance, I'm sure I'll be nicely compensated... perhaps with a place to sleep and a bowl of pho.... again.
And that really has been the most interesting part of the past week. It's been a little slow around here. Except at work, it seems we've jumped right into the dreaded peak season. I was fortunate enough to work a domestic desk this past Thursday after a long stretch of international desks. I forgeet how much annoyance comes with people who can easily dial you up and speak (for the most part) the same language. The Chinese use the internal IM system mostly, so the phone doesn't ring and and you don't have deal with the language barrier. And of course, there's the amusement of getting a message from Jet Ding or his brother Whisper Ding.
But this past week, the domestic side has been kind of nuts, for whatever reason. Maybe it's the sort of heightened sense of what may go wrong, some hyper cautiousness on everyone's part (occasionally unreasonably) on top of the already stressed relationshp between work groups and management. But, at any rate, there seems to be a lot of planes flying air around... which is a hassle because those are the ones they like to F___ with the most. We need t leave later, but now go to Wichita, nevermind on Wichita, send it to Phoenix... wait, not yet, do you have fuel for Denver? And if you say no, the question of why not usually follows... Because geographically Denver is not usually between Miami and Newark... just saying.
Seriously it happens.
But they pay me a lot to tell them they're dumb sometimes... what better can you ask for?
This weekend has brought the return of football season. Hooray! 12 hours of college football yesterday, and 12 hours or so of NFL today. Nothing against baseball season... we all know I love some Braves watching at the Ted. But on TV, it get's kind of dull. Then again, the last Brave's game I went to I may have watched 4 batters. it was mostly about hanging with my hot friends. But I digress... So, today, I think I'll find some place with a nice outdoor area where I can catch some rays of sunshine, have a cold drink, and watch the Niners start a triumpahant championship season.
Is it wrong that I really enjoy most the Victoria's Secret email adds i get?? It's like a little bright spot of my day getting emails hotties in lingerie. But I digress...
Here's to a happy week. I need to make plans... plans to go go go. I am taking in a Cubs game in a few weeks with Jersey (Woohoo!), and deciding now on the possible purchase of some DMB tickets. Money is kind of tight right now due to some unforeseen budget changes, but I think I can squeeze in a show :-).
Well, that's as much rambling as I think I can handle. I need to go and remind myself I don't need an iPad or a new macBook. Later.
Oh, and Ryan.. we all hat eyou and your approaching vacation to Tahiti. I thought you should know that you're still a No Talent Ass Clown, even in a hut over the water.
And that really has been the most interesting part of the past week. It's been a little slow around here. Except at work, it seems we've jumped right into the dreaded peak season. I was fortunate enough to work a domestic desk this past Thursday after a long stretch of international desks. I forgeet how much annoyance comes with people who can easily dial you up and speak (for the most part) the same language. The Chinese use the internal IM system mostly, so the phone doesn't ring and and you don't have deal with the language barrier. And of course, there's the amusement of getting a message from Jet Ding or his brother Whisper Ding.
But this past week, the domestic side has been kind of nuts, for whatever reason. Maybe it's the sort of heightened sense of what may go wrong, some hyper cautiousness on everyone's part (occasionally unreasonably) on top of the already stressed relationshp between work groups and management. But, at any rate, there seems to be a lot of planes flying air around... which is a hassle because those are the ones they like to F___ with the most. We need t leave later, but now go to Wichita, nevermind on Wichita, send it to Phoenix... wait, not yet, do you have fuel for Denver? And if you say no, the question of why not usually follows... Because geographically Denver is not usually between Miami and Newark... just saying.
Seriously it happens.
But they pay me a lot to tell them they're dumb sometimes... what better can you ask for?
This weekend has brought the return of football season. Hooray! 12 hours of college football yesterday, and 12 hours or so of NFL today. Nothing against baseball season... we all know I love some Braves watching at the Ted. But on TV, it get's kind of dull. Then again, the last Brave's game I went to I may have watched 4 batters. it was mostly about hanging with my hot friends. But I digress... So, today, I think I'll find some place with a nice outdoor area where I can catch some rays of sunshine, have a cold drink, and watch the Niners start a triumpahant championship season.
Is it wrong that I really enjoy most the Victoria's Secret email adds i get?? It's like a little bright spot of my day getting emails hotties in lingerie. But I digress...
Here's to a happy week. I need to make plans... plans to go go go. I am taking in a Cubs game in a few weeks with Jersey (Woohoo!), and deciding now on the possible purchase of some DMB tickets. Money is kind of tight right now due to some unforeseen budget changes, but I think I can squeeze in a show :-).
Well, that's as much rambling as I think I can handle. I need to go and remind myself I don't need an iPad or a new macBook. Later.
Oh, and Ryan.. we all hat eyou and your approaching vacation to Tahiti. I thought you should know that you're still a No Talent Ass Clown, even in a hut over the water.
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