a renewal...

I flew into Ontario, CA last night and it was a great ride riding shot again. Got to meet the Delta pilot who rode my jump seat a couple of months ago and now I finished riding his. Coincidence really. Adelle and I then ventured off to Sizzler where I got my fix on. I think that I'm set for another 10 years now. I can't believe how familiar the taste was. It's identical, but I guess that's a good thing from time to time to try something you once had a lot of.

Anyways, after talking to one of my friends tonight of a little bit, he got me thinking about my real estate licence and I noticed that mine just expired. I have of course 2 years to get it back up to date but I think that I'm just going to get it over with right now and do what I have to do. It's a simple 15 hour course really and should be fun. I get to learn something else besides flying.

I have my first LOFT coming up on the 27th of this month and I'm actually a little scared of it. I still haven't had my line check yet and I'm still anticipating someone riding along with me soon. My landings have gotten better but its not the butter glide I want. I was landing flat for a while and that's not fun.

I had a chance to catch up on Entourage and it was damn funny! You have to keep up. Chargers apparently were rather sloppy but I guess that's how the looked in the pre-season last year. I'm sure that it'll wake them up a bit...hopefully!

security nightmare w/ awesome dinner!

Today started out a little hectic trying to get on my flight back to ATL today with the fact that the line for security in Terminal 2 was being held up for 1.5 hours due to a security breach. This in turn caused the captain to time out and us to end up flying to Salt Lake for a new crew then on to ATL. Oh joy… now instead of getting into town around 5:00 PM local, I’ll be there around 11:00 PM. Should make out to be a quick nap at Loxford Lounge then onto my awesome four day trip. I spend the last three days just hanging out in San Diego and got to see the Padres vs. the Mets. Adelle and I took the trolley to downtown which was really easy and cheap and we ate some garlic fries and hot dogs. This is the definitely of a good night at the ballpark.

My line in August that I was awarded consists of 350 hours away from base so that should provide for another $500 of per diem. Now as long as I don’t’ spend it on food while away, I’ll be good. I also might be able to pick up some open time in August for some time and a half to help out with things. The biggest deal will be swapping out my car in Atlanta for the one in Wildomar. I’ll be driving the 1985 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbo Diesel and it doesn’t have any air conditioning. That’s going to be fun in Atlanta. If anyone has any ways to create a new cooling system in a car, please tell me. It might be a little rough, but we’ll see how that goes. Wish me luck!

I had dinner with an old friend tonight and it was fun just hanging out. I'm glad that she's doing well and I do hope that we get to talk a little more often. We ate at a place called Joe's right near the airport and I have to say that they made me a really awesome hamburger. Now I'm fat again.

Still haven't found my headset (QC2s) or my video iPod. I'm very disappointed with Delta Lost and Found! =(

Quick Trip

Another trip to San Diego and back again. I got in Monday night and left on Wednesday morning. Tuesday included a trip to the bi-weekly haircut at the PQ Barber Shop followed by some PQ Donuts. Adelle and I then met up with my parents at Pat and Oscar's where we hung out for quite a while. Prior to heading to Pat and Oscar's, Adelle and I went to Edward's Cinemas thinking that we were going to watch Transformers or something else new but of course being that Harry Potter was playing that night at midnight, I thought that we might as well indulge in the mania. The line was long outside with full of people camping out in tents, sun bathing and it was just kind of nutty. It almost seemed as if it was even more of a hype than Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings. We went up to the ticket counter and to my surprise they were sold out for the four 11:59PM showings and the 3:15AM showings in the IMAX theater. Of course, we hung out for a bit and found out that there was a 6:15AM showing so of course after all the hype, we thought that it would be fun anyways to watch it then. The movie was sold out and when we finished, the line for the next film was long and the rest of the showings for today were sold out! It's crazy! The IMAX in 3D was pretty cool. I enjoyed the movie and cannot wait of course for the last two. I ended up watching Transformers online and it was okay. I wasn't necessarily all about it because of how confusing the transformation was in that it looked like a bunch of noisy graphics, but the action was great. I'm just glad that we watched Harry Potter instead.

I'm about to embark on my next trip that is basically a rinse and repeat each week. I can't wait to fly to the Bahamas, but it does stink that we don't have an overnight there. I haven't met my captain for this line yet, but I've already heard that he's a good guy. My flight attendant is awesome because at least, he and I get to hang out and grab some dinner / beers. Tulsa was fun and I'm sure that the next few overnights will be fun too!

On the way to San Diego, I met a newly promoted Captain at ASA who moved from Dallas to Salt Lake to LAX and now he's back in ATL flying the ATR. It's always nice to sit with another ASA guy when commuting. It's nice to make new friends who share a commonality and it'll be nice to actually hang out while were in San Diego. I also watched Premonition on the way to San Diego and it was alright. It's funny how many movies I'm actually watching now that I'm commuting. I should definitely be studying or something for the test that I want to take, but right now I can't fathom doing it right now. I need to prepare or something mentally, but the motivation isn't all there. Soon though...

waiting and waiting...

I decided that I should finally get my 10K mile service this morning right after the Valdosta Nap that I had. I'm not that tired just yet but I guess that I should be especially after having only 2.5 hours of sleep. I've been slacking when it comes to the daily things such as bills, car washes, you know...the basic stuff. I've been spending a lot of time just traveling and relaxing a little bit. Today marks the last day of my relax schedule as you can see if you click on my July Schedule, I'll be flying around 96 hours and some change. It's going to be a doozy and I guess if you were to take in the time that I am "On Duty," I'll be working more than 40 hours a week when you compare it to the normal worker bee. Make sure that you look at the calendar and see if you are going to be at the cities that I will be having a layover at and if you are, leave a comment...Let's have dinner.

I was driving yesterday to work while the thunderstorms were surrounding Atlanta and of course, we were delayed by a few hours. What do you expect you know? But one the way to the parking lot, I had my windows down and the driver next to me in a Honda Accord coupe looked at me, and rubbed in fingers together in a way while saying, "You making the ends eh?" I was just laughing a little bit, but I have to admit that I'm a little irritated that people or the general public still think that pilots make a lot. It provides for the perception that since we make so much that 1) We don't care about the passengers 2) We are too good to be them 3) We don't deserve the raises that we are fighting for. It makes us look spoiled and in fact, I have to think twice if I can buy a stupid value meal at McDonald's for breakfast which in fact I just did and it was good. We couldn't even get breakfast at the hotel this morning because they don't start the service until 0700! We left at 0545 of course to go get ready. The fact is is that ALPA needs to begin informing the public a little bit better at the airports or something. I mean, it'll definitely be a while if not it'll take me my entire life to achieve the American Dream if I just sit back and hang out at the airports.

I was on top of the iPhone news debut yesterday and am still frantically thinking about getting one. I can't believe it because I can't afford it, but damn...all the videos look sick! I guess I'll do better as long as I don't go to the store and look at one. I heard that once you touch it, you can't let it go. Damn this tech addiction!

Anyways, like I might have mentioned a few days ago, I'm going to try and be better in updating this blog. Please leave you comments and stuff and it'll motivate me even more.

The Life of a Commuter

I tell everyone that commuting is worth the "better" life in San Diego and as long as I keep telling myself that, the 10 hours that I spend traveling back and forth is all the more worth it. I find myself spending less on gas which is awesome but a little more on food. I haven't done any grocery shopping though lately and my workout routine is suffering a little bit. I have yet to study for the new endeavor into the Air National Guard but we'll see how that pans out. I've got the books coming to me this week .

These last two days I've been eating a lot of hamburgers again and loving it. I just started spending more money too which isn't the best thing financially, but my stomach is definitely more happy! Last night in Fort Wayne, Indiana I headed out to a Bar / Club named "Club 412" and had two pints of beer along with an awesome cheeseburger. I had two pints of the Blue Moon Honey Special which was actually really good. I definitely enjoyed the night but I find myself having a little too much of alone time. Even this evening as I ate dinner in the A Concourse, I realized that being a pilot really takes someone that likes to be alone. I mean, it's easy to meet people along the way, but it isn't conducive to creating long and everlasting friendships; it's a colleague here and a friend there. I'm not complaining but the ride as been so far so good.

I met a guy on the plane who told me about a possibility in the Border Patrol and that might be an interesting turn especially if I get to fly! We'll see where it goes!?

I also did a little bit of shopping the other day and found a good deal at Hollister for a brown long sleeve thermal looking shirt. I got it at 50% off for $12.90. Then of course, I ended up getting the bug and realized that I needed board shorts and since Pac Sun was having a 25% sale off of boardshorts, I got a new pair of Billabong shorts and a Hurley Shirt. That's as much shopping as I have done lately except for the all the pilot stuff that I've needed and it was nice.

I'm on the plane back to San Diego right now and am watching the HBO Series "Extras" which is a hit in Britain. I have to say that it's just simply hilarious! It's by the creator the Office and the comdy is just excellent. I'm sure that it'll become a show in th US sometime soon and depending of the actors, I'm sure that it'll take off right away.

waiting...

So, I still can't seem to get the twitter flash widget to appear on my blog homepage on Firefox or Internet Explorer, but it seems to work on Safari. It's a little annoying really and I'm just thinking about simplifying the entire page because of this. So, I'm just waiting to get a couple hours of "time off" before I start on this journey. It's going to be a little difficult really being that its all setup and stuff. I'm just on happy with it.

Did you see that dunk last night by Mr. Davis?! Man, he just slammed that one in. It was like I was watching a replay from NBA Jam or something. Amazing. Also in sports news, 10Ks by Padres pitcher Jake Peavy!!! Tremendous job in setting the record for 4 games in a row with double digit strikeouts.

I'm waiting for a package that should come in today from a friend and we'll see what it contains when I get it. It'll be hopefully awesome.

I'm also waiting to see if I get a line next month. I'm not necessarily going to be expecting it, but we'll see what I get. I noticed that I moved down 3 spots on the CRJ FO list for ATL from #361 to 364 out of 435. My chances of getting a line are a little slim, but who knows.

The Office was definitely awesome but that's all I have to say. I'll end it with a quote: "may God guide you in your quest."

breakfast: spinach, albacore tuna, two slices of bread.

links...

Well, my friend Jojo finally just sent me some of the links that he religiously checkout every time he opens up a web browser and I found an awesome picture of a pretty nice looking athlete. You have to check it out at http://withleather.com/post.phtml?pk=2811. I have to say that I'm pretty impressed and don't feel guilty to think that she's hot because she just turned 18! But man...I'm sure that after a few more records in college, she'll definitely be attracting some seniors when she steps on campus. Anyways...

Flying my trip today was pretty fun. I have to admit that I'm feeling really good about flying here at ASA lately because I've been blessed with having some awesome Captains while some of my other colleagues aren't that lucky. I was able to execute a night visual approach with a little more confidence but I was still a little behind (or at least I thought I was) in spotting where the runway was. That led me to keep the automation on a little bit longer until I was aware of my situation but everything turned out well. My speed on was target and my two landings today were great. I feel like I've gotten over the hump or plateau that I had a couple of weeks ago where things weren't going well. It's all good now though and I'm happy. I find that I'm heading in to Cincinnati more often these days and it's funny that there are quite a few ASA pilots hanging around the terminal. It seems like we are all getting more than 1 hour layovers and have time to get something to eat which is awesome. We all happen to congregate around the Subway / McDonalds tables. Look me up if I'm in CVG when you are!

I'm starting to feel like I'm saving more money by bringing my lunches and I've been into the commuting the day of my trip. So far so good from San Diego as I'm not getting too tired and I'm loving the fact that I'm able to see my friends and girlfriend on a more regular basis. I haven't been able to see my folks that often though as I'm only there for a very short period anyways. I'm hoping to be home this weekend for Mother's Day and the Padres game.

I was able to see the Padres beat the Braves in ATL which was awesome. They lost tonight though. Oh well...tomorrow should be awesome with Maddux vs. Smoltz. I'm happy for Nicolas Sarkozy in France. That should be awesome esp. with the fact that he wants to change the French and American relationship a little towards a more positive one. I'm also starting to exercise on a more regular basis and my diet is getting better. Things are good and so with that, I'm going to sleep now!

a Crazy 10 hour duty!

It all began with last night's debacle in trying to depart Atlanta for Wilmington, North Carolina. I dutied in early and decided that since the screen said that the aircraft was at the gate, I would show up early and get going. I showed up to the spot at 2030 (8:30pm) and didn't see anything. I went back in the Crew Lounge and tried to find more out but didn't get anywhere. Finally, I got a call from Flight Ops and they told me to call the tower to ordered up a shuttle to transport us to the aircraft at Delta North which was on the other side of the airport. After a 3 different phone calls, a shuttle ended up picking us up 1.5 hours later. It was ridiculous! Then, we got to the aircraft, and there was no cleaning done, the aircraft was filthy, didn't have any catering, the lavatory was broken and deferred and the aircraft needed to be turned around. I was beginning to feel like it wasn't meant to be. I got the chance to taxi on Atlanta's new Taxiway Victor which is pretty out there on the departure end of 26R and 26L. I'm just going to make this story short, but after it was all said and done, we needed to get de-fueled, catered, cleaned up and boarded. About 3.5 hours after our scheduled departure, we finally left ATL for ILM. We made up a little time, but I got to sleep around 3:30AM. It was almost like a nap. I didn't have to meet the crew until 12:00 for the shuttle over to the airport which was okay but of course, the morning was a little rocky. I started up waking up at 1 hour intervals again from 8-10, then I setup my final alarm for 11:00. My phone's charging port is a little loose, so every time my phone vibrates, it comes loose and it just deactivates the alarm. It really stinks because that's what probably happened. So, I woke up at 12:00 exactly. I through my pants on, packed up and left for downstairs. On top of it all, there wasn't any power to the entire building because of the electrical shutdown they had planned and I had to find the stairs in the dark, ended up at the side of the hotel, ran to the lobby and forgot the lunch box. I went back upstairs to grab it, and it was all good. I thought that I lost my pajama shorts but I found them when I went to use the restroom. I ended up wearing them underneath my uniform pants! That was fun.

Well, after a 4 leg day, ILM-ATL-PIA-ATL-ATW, I'm resting in the Hampton Inn waiting for a 1500 (3:00 pm) departure. I went swimming tonight by myself and will try to work out tomorrow. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I was able to get some good sleep on the Tempur-pedic Mattress in Wilmington. You have to love the Hilton there. The Hampton is nice because they have breakfast in the morning. I can't wait. I just have to wake up now. =)

Diet for today: Banana, Apple, Orange, Nature Valley Granola Bar, trail mix, small bag of hot cheetos, peanut and butter jelly sandwich, waters, Zesty Lemon Pepper Starkist Tuna Packet. It was a good day but too bad that I dont' have that much left for the next two. I have to restock on the fruits or something tomorrow morning. Till then!

Best layover ever...so far...

It's definitely going to be really hard to top this trip. The crew that I was paired up with was just too much fun. The Captain and Flight Attendant were just really nice, outgoing, dinner was awesome and the Captain even treated us out! Thanks again Captain! If this is was flying was everyday or every time I went out on a trip, then it wouldn't be half as bad. Once again, don't get me wrong, it's not that bad at all just yet and I'm sure that it won't be. I was surprised that Evansville, Indiana was going to be this awesome. The Jameson Inn is really pleasant and comfortable. Apparently they had an awesome renovation and there is just a lot of stuff to do around here. I ate at the Rafferty's just down the street and had a 10-12 oz. Prime Rib with a House Salad and Garlic Mashed Potatoes. It was just too good. Dinner was awesome all together and I'm looking forward to tomorrow's trip followed by a trip back home to San Diego. The flights look good so far so I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed.

Tomorrow is going to be another long day but with only three legs. I'm going back to Atlanta early morning, then up to Providence, Rhode Island then back to Atlanta. I should be on the 1655 flight out of Atlanta back to San Diego, but like I said, we'll see how the loads go and hopefully the weather holds up in all places.

I got my first full month schedule for April. I did get awarded a reserve line but I can't argue that it's bad. Apparently, I got a shift that is from 1800 till 0000. This is designated a "nap" line where we go to some place for like only 5 hours then come right back. Should be fun and definitely tiresome, but it'll be some good experience if I ever end up getting these kind of flights. I made good friends with a scheduler today also and look forward to helping that relationship grow into some good terms. I trying to go for some flying out West still and we'll just have to wait and see if I'm "awarded" anything out there. Pray for me! Oh yeah, if you haven't already, you have to watch the Dora the Explorer spoof that SNL did last Friday. It's kick ass!

Buffalo and Snow IOE

These are a couple of new pictures from my last flight up to Buffalo. The captain and I thought that we would have been canceled but because the storm moved so fast to the east, Buffalo wasn't that bad at all. It was my leg because the IOE Captain wanted to fly his last trip back to Atlanta and it just worked out that way but I was excited because of the conditions that I would be flying into. I landed on a runway that wasn't that slippery or contaminated at all, but the light snow and the snowy taxiways were something that I've never done before. We also had a chance to get de-iced which, of course, I have never done before. What better timing than to do it with an IOE Captain. I really hope that the next few lines that I get from Crew Scheduling are okay and are with an awesome captain. I heard that you get spoiled with your training instructors and that some of line guys aren't that friendly. Always have to stay positive and just make the best out of any situation. I get my first call tomorrow afternoon probably.

The picture to the right is just outside of my window on board the flight deck. It's pretty awesome I think! Oh yeah, from what I know now and have been awarded, I have April 23-26 as my Golden Days. Anyone going to come to town? Either than that, I'm on reserve till then. Oh joy!!!

I forgot to write lately about my diet too so here goes. I now weight in at about 173 lbs. which is closer to my goal of 165. I still have a waist that I need to run off but the diet of Tuna, bread and Ritz Crackers or whatever else on the plane is just awesome. I'm also able to save quite a bit of money bringing along a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and try to ease my appetite along the way with some various trail mixes too. I found a place called the "Nut House" just right down the street which has just about any trail mix that I would have imagined and I can't argue that it's expensive either. Over a span of 2 days for 2 people (the Captain and I), we shared $5.00 worth and I thought that it was perfect. I could of course maybe had it last longer but I'm the type to always share. I also have some Special K Cereal in the morning and or a shake of sorts. I think that I could lose that extra 8 pounds too by the end of the month. That's my goal at least!

Here's another picture of a frozen lake (I have no idea which one) on the final approach into Buffalo.

London in 28 Hours = No LAX

This stinks...during a spontaneous trip to London, my sim partner and I who were very excited to get the new LAX base found out that ASA was closing down its LAX operations this June. Looks like I'll be stuck here in Atlanta. It's not really that bad of a thing, but I was really looking forward to handing out with some old friends and just getting back to a normal West Coast Lifestyle. This is the airline industry though eh?

Here are some pix from the 28 hours that Eric and I spent in London. International Business to and from London! Now that's the way to travel. 6 course meals and everything. It was the royal treatment. It makes you feel guilty for what you get. Because the original plan was for San Diego, that's what I packed for. I wasn't ready at all for the colder weather in London, so first thing was the find a store with a sale and buy a sweater. I ended up with a gray cardigan from Espirit. I guess if I was to do some shopping in London it was the right choice since the US doesn't have too much brand influence from these guys. Ironically, my sweater says New York on the left upper arm. Eric and I had some curry fries which just proved to be the best food for a quick snack.

Next trip is to Amsterdam or Copenhagen. Hopefully I'll run into some friends from a past life. It was an awesome choice but way too expensive. The dollar just under-performs the pound making it all too hard to "vacation" in London. But, you have to give it up to them for keeping it up there.

I miss you babe! I really really do. I wish that I could have come see you this past break.

Sim V and fatigue

I was tired today. For some reason unknown to me, I just felt tired throughout the entire day. I can admit that it hampered my learning and performance a little bit today while in sim training, but it didn't necessarily downgrade it all too much. I thought that I did okay. It was the first time that we went through a full flight up to altitude and back down via emergency due to an APU fire. That was good stuff. I'm definitely looking forward to tomorrow's lesson and learning more. I think that these next two days off, I'll need to just hide out somewhere and study for 10 hours or so. Anyone been to the library at Emory? I think that I'll try to hit that up or something. We also practiced quite a few crosswind landings today. We went overboard a little bit and I have to admit that it was my first red screen where I added too much aileron correction. I'm definitely improving and getting it down. I can't wait till the moment that I can stand up and say, "I'm awesome!" That'll be a while, but man...I can hope and imagine that feeling right?

Had some awesome Hot Jalepeno Spicy Talipia again today from Johnny Carino's after mass. It was the bomb! All you can eat salad and bread too. So, I had two salads, saved half of the second, ate a lot of bread and saved half my entree and now I have a great lunch for tomorrow. I'm a little excited.

I noticed that there was a press release today by CAPT that states that they are lowering their program cost to the first 50 people. I hope that they are able to attract a few peeps. I have a house down in that area that is in dire need of renting out to students.

Alright, well, its a little later than I would like it to be and I need to wake up early too. Better get some rest. Goodnight!

I really don't like how Obama is against the Iraq War. Don't get me started, but that is definitely a downer. Chargers look like they are setup for 2007 at least almost. And...yeah...that's about it! Western Digital finally released their NAS (Network Attached Storage) External Hard Drive. I'm excited to pick one up and hook it up. I'm dying here without any form of extra space since my last disk failure. 2GB Flash drives are on sale at Best Buy for $29.99. That to me is a little cheaper than before. Almost so awesome that I wanted to buy one but I thought of all that awesome cash that I don't have and resisted. I think that I'm going to give up, what I like to call spontaneous-rogue spending, for Lent. Should prove to save me a couple cents here or two. Hopefully...

to enjoy good food...

Once again I was able to enjoy the awesomeness of what is Sam Woo BBQ at Ranch 99 in Clairemont Mesa. Spicy Salted Pork Chop, Garlic Baby Bok Choy, House Special Chow Mein, and Walnut Shrimp...that is the meal that just works every single time. Especially when you eat it with some good friends. It definitely sucked that is was raining here in San Diego this trip around, but it really wasn't that bad at all.

Adelle and I watched a movie today called "Because I Said So." It was good entertainment. We then went to Barnes and Nobles for some good studying time. I read what was required to get ready or my next 3-4 Sim Sessions which brings me to the end of training. I can't say that I'm totally ready as I have a lot more to study before my oral exam. I hate how I have to read things over and over again. It takes a while for me to remember things and to actually store them in my mind which stinks, but I'll get it sooner or later. I'm definitely going to use tomorrow's plane ride to study. I just hope that I'm able to get on one of the morning flights back to Atlanta.

I'm not sure if you guys noticed or anything that but I've added a link to my friend Eric Christiansen's Blog as well as another feature that contains some news articles that I've elected to "share." I've been using Google Reader for quite a while now and I'm loving it. It seems to lessen the time that I spend reading different websites individually and just condenses everything into one continuous read. It's nice and I've never been into RSS Feeds until Google finally updated their version. I was using Mozilla's Thunderbird for a bit, but this is nice. Now, I just need a page with all my bookmarks so that I can retrieve them wherever I am.

In other news, the Chargers seem to be stacking up on coaches with the hiring of Norv Turner, who in turn named long-time NFL assistant Ted Cottrell the team’s defensive coordinator. We also picked up Ron Rivera from the Chicago Bears to be our Linebacker coach. It's going to be interesting to see what kind of new plays this new all star staff will come up with. I'm still a little disappointed on the decision that the Chargers made, but we have to look forward from here. Who are we going to pick up in the 1st round?