Busy-ness

Well, it's been quite some time since I've blogged, and it's weird having the time now to sit and write a bit. The weather here is somewhat iffy for the next few days, so I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to fly.

I got sick for the first time this year Tuesday or so, and bad enough to go to the doctor Thursday. I'm glad I went, because I found out that I had bronchitis and sinusitis. I thought I had just a really bad cold, but evidentally it had progressed into the sinusitis and bronchitis. So they gave me that Z-pack thing and some strong decongestant and sent me home, telling me that I could go back to work.

I didn't go back to work. Friday I felt so bad that anytime I moved, my pounding headache just pounded some more. I had a headache since I woke up Friday around 8 until around 6 that night, so I decided that maybe if I just got out of the house and drove around a bit it would get better. It didn't, just kept getting more and more intense. So I decided to go back to the doctor, and they told me that headaches weren't uncommon with sinusitis, and that it was nothing to worry about. They gave me another prescription, this time for a narcotic to knock the pain out, and sent me home. Got it filled, took some, and then I was nausious. I was like, what the hell. I managed to eat some toast and just went to sleep. Not much better Saturday, I was doped on the pain killer most of the day, but felt heaps better by that night. No meds today, so went back to work this morning and had a pretty good day.

Unfortunately I didn't get to solo my student this morning, so we just got a couple of good crosswind landings in and came back. Sat around at the school for a bit, then went to pick up the rest of my unfilled meds from the pharmacy, had lunch, then picked up my afternoon students. Did a short sim, then had a pretty good flight doing short/soft field landings with a little bit of a light crosswind, came back, and called it a day. Did a little ground tutoring, drove everyone home, then finished up some online shopping. Will read a bit tonight, in a pretty good one now called Penrod and Sam, circa 1920s, not bad, about some young hoodlum boys. Then start a fresh week tomorrow. No AM flight - ceiling - but hopefully finish up my third student in the sim before I leave for a short vacation.

Cheers,

--R.

Making the Tough Decisions

I find it intriguing just how mediocre some of the most plaguing problems are confronted. Take, for example, milk. Many people will tell you, rather abruptly, just what kind of milk you should be drinking. It is almost like watching some of those stupid midterm election campaigns, "Well, this one is much better for you because it won't kill you in the long run, and I'll make you prettier by making you not jiggle," (obviously I'm referring to 2% here), followed by whole milk's rebuttal, "What you see is what you get with me, think about his atrocious past, all of the horrible things he's done to get to where he is."

The thing is I don't buy milk on its packaging, (unless of course it comes in a nice thick glass bottle, that is just damn sexy). I don't buy milk on its merit or history, frankly, I'd rather not know that something that came from cow nipple. I don't buy milk because it's the only morning thirst quencher or the best compliment to cookies, rather, I buy milk because I want to. I buy milk because I know it will keep for a while, is quite palatable, and is fortified with a healthy dose of some vitamin I know nothing about. But you can't get it any other way, unless you own cows.

Now anyone that knows me would know that I am a whole milk drinker. Anyone that has ever seen me would understand why: could use a little jiggle, or so I'm told. But do the people doing the telling influence my final decision? No. Why, you ask? Because they are not me. I am me. I choose. Perhaps a sage tells me to buy 2%. Depending on the sage, my response would be one of several similar variations:

1. Nod and smile.
2. "Oh, curious."
3. "Bugger off."

Note the evident lack of agreement and resignation. Why? I am me. I choose.

It is difficult to continue without becoming hypocritical, but I'll try my best to be sanguine. What the hell is with all these cheeky labels? Whole or 2%, salt or pepper, Nissan or Toyota, left or right, the list could go on for some time. Why not simply: Milk, seasoning, auto, opinionated person? I just don't get where all this division comes from, I mean, come on, don't most common people loathe math anyway? Why not just be your own person with your own ideas and values and leave it at that? All this division only creates an opportunity for misunderstanding and hostile disagreement. If I can make my own mind up about which particular milk I choose to drink, keep it to myself and not lambaste everyone who drinks otherwise, can't the greater populace make up their own mind without all this, "You're wrong, I'm right," shit? Come on peoples.

By the way, it was really foggy this morning.
--R.

Google a guy named Andrew Denton

I listened to a rather interesting podcast the other day that made me think a little bit. Check out the guy named in the title here, and if you're still interested, post your e-mail address and I'll send you the snippet I listened to. Thought-provoking.

The weather has been crap again, and I have not had much of an opportunity to fly with my students. We got several lessons done, but it still seems as though progress has been achingly slow.

Fall is finally changing here to winter, and the leaves are beginning to catch up. The fall weather has been the reason I have not flown for quite some time.

I've been doing more ground instructing than I have flight instruction.

--R.

Act Now!! Free super chef with every order! (Ire not included.)

I've been in a giving mood all day. I gave out around 7AM and took a nice little nap, then around 11, I decided to get up and give the news a chance. After thoroughly depressing and pointless blather for around ten minutes, I decided to give Comedy Central a chance, and found a program that was entertaining enough for me to eat breakfast to.

I gave my plants some water before I got ready to leave this morning. Then some crack-whore who had a disposition to NOT use her indicators cut me off, so I gave her a piece of my mind. I gave up trying to honk, I only got phone numbers in the past, not results.

It's unfortunate that I didn't get to fly today. The weather was low again today, and both of my students are working on Private, so no go. Looks the same for AM tomorrow, but hopefully I will get some time in with them by the end of the week. It is supposed to be hella windy tomorrow afternoon, and one of my students is supposed to learn landings, so I have a feeling I won't get two flights tomorrow, hopefully at least one though. We'll just have to see.

So far my flight instruction has been more ground and simulator instruction. Both of my students finished their groundschool Tuesday, and I was hoping to hit the flying hard and get them through their solo by the end of the month, but the weather is starting to catch up to the season, so I'm kinda at odds about what to do. I think it's better and much easier for them if I can at least get them in the sim every few days if not in a plane, but even to talk to them about flight stuff when we can't do that is better than nothing.

Saw III comes out tomorrow, and the woman wants to go see it, but I doubt that I will be able to go until Sunday. She says she is going by herself. YEAH, WHATEVER.

They served free beer today at a work function. (Not at the school.) It was weird, and though I'm not against alcohol at all, I'm no alcoholic, and I didn't think it very professional for that to be served on the premises when people were working. To me, the line of work that I'm in, that just isn't conducive to positive customer rapport.

But anyways...

--R.

Rain

The weather here is crap today. No fly weather, even for flies. I headed out to the airport today aroud noon, had a few hours to go over weather stuff with my students, then called it a day. Probably won't even go to the airport tomorrow, even crappier weather with a strong chance for thunderstorm activity. Such a waste.

I had to move all of my plants in this past week, as the temperature has dropped of significantly. I hate moving my stuff inside for winter for the simple fact that I always get these little bugs that fly around and bug me. I need to spray all of my plants down, I guess, but it always seems to only work for a few days, then I'm back to the bug problem. Any ideas/suggestions?

I'm hoping that the weather clears in the next few days. I've got so many flights scheduled for the rest of the week that I'd like to get in the air at least once. Now that both of my students are out of ground school, their schedule is open, and I'm trying my best to get some flight time in with them. I'm ready to fly, and I know they are too. It gets old sometimes going over ground stuff for hours on end.

I'm really happy that I got the opportunity to teach at the school, I like it there very much, and am thoroughly satisified that I didn't get what I wanted at first. Where I am at now is much better, and a more conducive environment to flight training. I'm looking forward to many happy memories from there.

--R.

Reconstruction

After carefully reviewing my safety options, I decided against posting the ubiquitous 'first post,' and decided instead on posting something a little less trite. Perhaps a little less exciting, I opted today to instead post about Saturday gardening, an oft-forgot, neglected trade.

I had a friend, not close, but a friend nonetheless who frequently gardened on Saturday. She wasn't very good at it, her soil was always terribly weeded, coarse, and improperly drained, but she gave it a noble effort. I found her intriguing because though she knew she would never be any John Deere, she never let her critics disparage her plot, always on the defensive.

I recently learned of her death, and my naming to be the recipient of her plot off of Seventy-sixth, in the public peace area. I went not too long ago to inspect my new responsibility, and was amazed at the level of commitment she had. I've always respected the decision in the forties to establish public peace areas, and find it soothing to be able to enjoy nature and flora.

It is the responsibility of the living to preserve the past for the future, and though I'm sure I'll kill everything in the plot, I find it imperative to perpetuate the simplicity and beauty of her plot and her futile efforts at gardening excellence, if only to accentuate the importance of individual equanimity through husbandry.

--R.