A Daily

Is it any wonder that I life in a beantown (that's coffee bean, folks) and am surrounded by coffeehouses on every block I walk... and I order anything but. It is funny what destiny has in store for each of us, or rather, God. Just a little over 2 years ago, I could not have seen it in my future that I would be here 3000 miles away from my family working a job I view as a half-career...

But in keeping retrospect, the job has begun. I have finished my first week in the VAQ and with every new day, I feel more and more anxious. When an instructor mentions failure, my stomach gets all in a tizzy and I think back to those awful days of VT-86. (The whole experience wasn't awful, just those certain bad days.) I am really going to have to pull it together if I want to be able to enjoy other things!

Random thought: Two years ago on a Cross-Country Flight to Austin, we were getting bad hydraulic indications in the plane and we were stuck there for an extra night. However we were on a tight schedule to get the IP back to the squadron to do more flights, so he called up maintenance on his cell phone. There we were, with all of our gear sitting next to the T-6 Texan II, hatches open, while maintainers on the phone were talking us through troubleshooting. Only in the Navy. Well, we couldn't figure out what the disconnect was, so I drove back to San Antonio. Waited for a big T-39 to drop off maintainers to bring the plane back while we joyrided back on the Sabreliner. Needless to say, I didn't get all my cross-country X's.

Channeling

Is it any surprise that in the new year that I'd want to become a more educated, cultured, wiser, better me?

Yet again, January marks the fabulous occasion of my birth. With that, I am looking for ways to prepare myself for the oncoming set of troubles and studies that always try to bring me down in the winter season. Taxes, flight "grad" school, holidays over and no family... you get it. Usually during this time, I'm reverting back to high school/college to hobby it up.

Here are some things I have decided to pursue/try while I still have a fighting chance:
1. P90X. Now, I am not what you normally call an obese chick. Most people consider me skinny. Well of course you're skinny when you have no curves and you waist is practically the same size as your hips! I'm currently in a bidding battle with some people on eBay for the DVDs, hoping I don't lose AGAIN. Now if you really know me, you'd know that I love Beachbody.com. I have at least 3 different workout programs with them, none of which get me feeling sore (yes, soreness is the feeling I want my body to achieve). I could easily get the sore feeling trying snowboarding again (let's not go there), but I'll try something in-house. The two things I am worried about is not being able to do the hour each day--its hard being single and wanting to leave the house/area all the time doesn't help. Also, I have a male roommate who sometimes makes dinner that wouldn't fall into the category of "healthy", which is a big temptation. I've got to make sure I don't fall into those traps. But if you've ever seen the infomercials (I have seen them for almost two years), you'd be inspired to try it. I've already done two weeks before... then I stopped doing it. I don't remember why.

2. Bookworming. Since the current outbreak of these books:


I've been reading more and more. Or at least WANTING to read more and more. I've got a discount at B&N, which makes it super easy to purchase things once I'm in the store. More books on queue: The Host by Stephenie Meyer and Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I have a current magazine subscription to Real Simple on top of all that... and let us not forget about my current studies on aircraft systems and emergency procedures! This is just going to be like me attempting to read a leisure book "on the side" during college. Damn near impossible. But it truly is a better way to not spend money out at clubs and dining out... it nearly makes me unsociable...

3. Choreographing. Ever since the Winter Workshop my dancer friend asked me to be on, I've wanted to get back into that. I've been wanting to purchase a mirror or two to put in the garage and just choreograph. There aren't enough hours in a day to complete all of these things! (And I'm just on bullet 3, too.)

4. Making scrapbooks. I've left Virginia Tech over two years ago, and I feel like Facebook albums aren't going to hold out for more than ten. I feel the need to document them, with my own artistic addition, while I've still got a creative hand. First subject: the VTCC.

5. Learn Tagalog. Christmas vacation was a constant reminder of how I need to step it up and learn how to speak the language of the motherland. While I realize it extremely difficult for my relatives to speak to me in Tagalog as I reply in English, I can't see any other way for me to learn. That was, until I bought a workbook in addition to Rosetta Stone. It's going to be great. Di ba?

Those are the Top 5 of the year. It is the Year of the Other, like I had told my mom (yes, I felt that the year should have a theme, my own mantra if you will) and that will help me in my goals of contributing to the family since I can't physically be there to help. I feel like I've had a decent start, paying off random CC bills to get out of debt, then back in. Willpower is essentially what I'm praying for. If you help me pray, the chance is twice as strong, and I might just make it through this year.

The Spirit of Giving

Finished.

Two thousand eight is now behind us, the end of the millennium's first decade. I have just returned from an unusual New Year's Celebration, arriving at a DC club with only ten minutes left of the year to prepare. The dj didn't even give the people fair warning, as only the observant Asians were paying attention to Ryan Seacrest on TV and the countdown to 2009. But surrounded by only a few friends and relatives, standing in a sea of colored skin, I was able to enjoy myself and the fact that a new year has started its imprint into our fragile little lives.

So what do I have to look forward to? Well, as per protocol, I rang in the new year single. As sad as it may look, this doesn't bother me. It's Valentines' Day that I worry about. Luckily, I have two months remaining in that endeavor. Must not get too hasty, though! The good thing about this is (and always a good thing) is that I still can afford me. I can make my single independent pay and enjoy what I want to do when I want at my own expense. For that, I am grateful. Sometimes, even when I think my sibling stares at me as if I was a giant walking dollar sign, I chuckle a bit.

Because I am still able to give to others, I still have an opportunity to send an easy dollar or two to the family I never get to see. We finally figured out the webcam here at home and to see all of their young faces (about 10 of them at a time it seems, most under the age of 5), I feel lucky that I can still contribute to my own relatives. Plus, this Christmas, my very own cousin Karen decided to start a mass email to all the Rigos-Rigos which will, in fact, make us even closer and aware of who we all are. Facebook (thank god for that) started most, but to figure out how our enormous family tree works, we now have the resources to find out more about people who are very far away from us.

So, with 2009 now here, my goal is to remain frugal as ever, thinking of others instead than myself, and to learn to let things take its course. I cannot control most things, so rather than not allowing others to learn for themselves, I must do the opposite. 2009 will also be the year of the "other"... in more ways than one.

Tuesday, December 09, 2003

i'm waiting the day
my mascara is smeared
but for some reason it doesnt change
its time to cry in the rain
running my hands through
i've memorized your fingertips
but for some reason it doesnt change
its time to cry in the rain
could you give me my sword
you'll have the shield
then stars will shoot down from the sky
running i'll come through your window
and we'll dance
in a reverie i see
it'll be just you and me
and the promise i take will be bliss
for to these are just sands
passing only of glass
and i cant realize where i'm going

Surgery Season

I finally did it! I got my eyes fixed with PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy).



Drops drops and drugs.... a speculum kept my eye lid open, a patch on the idle eye. I stared a blinking red light while they brushed, sponged, lasered, watered, and lensed my poor, defenseless eye.

The difference between getting LASIK and PRK is that LASIK requires less recovery time and a flap is cut on the surface of the eye which heals faster. In PRK, they use a brush (picture a Sonicbrush, you know, the toothbrush) to scrape away and make the distance of light from the back of my retina to the cornea shorter. Then after that abrasion, its to heal over time, a little longer than LASIK. The Aviation Navy grounds me for a minimum of 3 months as opposed to 2 weeks in LASIK. However, I couldn't get LASIK because it still isn't approved for aviators due to the lack of research study for its effect on visual acuity. So.. PRK it was.

As painless as this procedure was, I am still waiting for the worst to come. I wasn't sensitive to light right away coming out of the laser suite, but as the numbing drops and Percocet faded, I felt more and more the stinging pain on my eyes. Fantastic. They give me 4 days until they take the shielding contact lenses. I only hope I can survive until then. I have to say its been pretty cool having a caregiver watch over me and drive me when I'm drugged. It was such a beautiful day too, and the sun turned into an enemy :( I like this not wearing glasses thing... I just can't wait to be off of the eye drops. I absolutely hate taking medicine.

I have to be pretty ridiculous to be on here looking at a screen, but good thing I don't need my eyes to type now don't I? It's ok, because... "I wear my sunglasses at night so I can so I can..."

**edit**
2 Days after the surgery... I forgot the initial reason I had named this blog Surgery Season was because this entire week, my grandfather had just had a heart attack that required a triple bypass surgery (of which he thankfully survived) and my cousin was also up against what turned out to be a prolactinoma -- benign tumor in the pituitary gland, again, thankfully she didn't have to undergo surgery.

As for me, I am bored just trying to close my eyes all day, and my body isn't made for sleeping all the time EVEN WITH narcotic drugs... I'd much rather be awake doing something. I lie awake in the wee hours of the morning wishing it was already breakfast time. My roommate left for the weekend to enjoy Seattle and the Patriots-Seahawks game as well, of that I'm a bit jealous having to sit around and do practically nothing. My friend Rebecca was cool enough to remember my love for fried chicken and she brought over a bucket of KFC to enjoy with me before I would drug again and go to sleep.

Tonight I'm headed back across the ferry with my caregiver Shannan... we are going to stay in Bremerton, WA tonight to make sure I get to my post-op appointment on time. They will hopefully then remove the bandage contact lens from my eyes and I can work on healing the corneal abrasion merely by blinking a lot. It will be a step back as far as vision goes for a day, but then hopefully I'll be back to driving/cooking/living mode soon after.

Gotta love modern technology, eh?

Note To Self:

Do not wear pants to a step class that turns out to be a "step"ish/plyo class.

Rust

I have used up several hours of my god-given life to reminisce on many photos, being far away from friends and family... and I've realized that having many possessions, I don't get many chances to wear or use what I have.

For instance, all my jewelry! I spend all week wearing a flight suit and boots. What is happening to all of my metallic earrings, clothes, and messes of things? Booooo.

Passing through.

I'm surrounded by many, yet still feel alone. I don't really want that feeling anymore.

Made it past the doubt

Didn't think I could make the drive alone, actually sharing my parents' concern, but I faked it well, didn't I? It proves that I can be truly independent without knowing MCMAPP!

I can't upload pictures, so I thought I'd give the quick rundown on the trip across the country of which I wasn't able to meet up with anyone en route as a result of bad timing and bad route placement.

Monday
I thought my initial 4 hours were going to be the toughest to get through without falling asleep. To my luck, some dude was changing the traffic lights on Blue Angel and Lillian which held up 7am traffic. Also, Mobile was under numerous flash flood warnings and driving slow through lots of water was a good way to keep me awake. Naturally, it took an hour and a half to get out of the city.

Getting to Mesquite wasn't that bad. It actually went shorter than I had anticipated.

Tuesday
I left Mesquite that morning and making it through the beltway was the longest. Even longer was the drive up northern TX, New Mexico, and Colorado. I took the non-major highway route, which stopped me every 45 min it seemed. It really gets annoying to go from 70mph down to 30mph everytime you pass thru a podunk Texan town.

In NM, I drove next to the fiercest lightning I have ever seen, accompanied by Black Death playing games in the clouds. I stayed talking on the cell phone to get my mind off of the death show in front of me.

Entering Colorado was beautiful... thinner air for my weaker car and weaker lungs, but breathtaking scenery.

Wednesday
Sightseeing day. Went to the Air Force Academy and saw the beautiful chapel, truly an architectural masterpiece. Everything from the stained glass to the organ to the meanings behind every single detail was magnificent. Luckily, the cadets were having their weekly Wednesday formation/parade. I remember how much it sucked to do that for pass and reviews, but these guys do it weekly?? Oh well, it was a great chance to listen to the old band marches, hum along, and reminisce the counterturn.

Garden of the Gods was next, as I opted for the bus tour this time. Didn't feel like walking around in the sun, but the rocks were very impressive. Got some souvenirs too. Love shopping!

Finally went to the Us Olympic Training Complex located in the heart of the city. I spent half the time in the gift shop wondering what to get from the Beijing 08 games. Most of the athletes were visiting home so it wasn't very full, but we did get a special tour inside the huge shooting range.

Chipotle. Enough said. Wish I could have stayed to go to Invesco Field for the Obama acceptance speech though, but alas I was on the road while the musical numbers were still opening.

Thursday
Not much to say about Idaho except that I was driving alongside the Oregon Trail (I didn't get dysentery though!) and that it smelled like manure. The Aggie portion of VT if you will. Also lots of modern windmills. I'm used to seeing the pinwheel ones from Holland so these were kind of, sophisticated.

Friday
I was not impressed by Oregon and didn't even realize I was going to have to go through the state until I passed the state line. That was surprising. The evergreens in Washington were such a refreshing sight to see after so many dust storms and plains in the previous legs.

First time I hit traffic was entering Seattle. As I got closer and closer to the west coast, the clouds were more frequent and the temperature got colder. Eventually found my hotel and caught up with Lauren!

She exposed me to the Asian culture embedded in the city and its different neighborhoods. I was pleased. We went to Fremont for the night, which sounded like a gang country, but it was actually pretty cool. More Thai food for her roommates, a bar where I paid way too much money for Magic Mike's tricks, and a cake shop open til late. I'm glad that her roommates and friends are just as crazy as they should be, so that made my inner crazy-loud come out after a week of talking only to my intuitive cat.

It has certainly been a while since I've been in an elevator.

Saturday
VT vs ECU.. its a close game.
Downtown and musicfest and Washingtonians!

The Worst Day Ever

"Woman Dies in Boating Accident"

An Israeli woman who had been in Pensacola about a year and planned to leave next week was killed Sunday when she fell from a boat.
Advertisement

Michal Elboim, 24, was sitting on the bow of a 24-foot pontoon boat when she fell into Perdido Bay and was hit by the boat's propeller, said Stan Kirkland, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman.

Elboim worked for the Pensacola Jewish Federation as a goodwill ambassador, promoting Israel to the Jewish and gentile communities, said Chip Merritt, the federation's president.

A memorial service is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Temple Beth-El at 800 North Palafox St., Rabbi Leonard Zukrow said.

For more information about the service, call the federation at 434-7992.

She had plans to leave Pensacola and the United States on Aug. 5, do some traveling then return to her country, Merritt said.

"The people who worked closest with her, we are all devastated," Merritt said. "We obviously are saddened. We are shocked. We don't know anything else about what happened other than it was a tragic accident."

The accident happened shortly before 3:30 p.m. south of the Lillian Bridge at Innerarity Point.

Ten people were on the boat. Four are military personnel from Pensacola Naval Air Station and Whiting Field Naval Air Station. The others are civilians, Kirkland said.

The accident happened as a man on the boat was trying to show a woman how to pilot it and as Elboim sat on the bow with a man, Kirkland said.

"With (the boat) moving, apparently it all happened within a second or two," Kirkland said.

Alcohol is not believed to have played a role in the accident, Kirkland said.

Exactly what caused Elboim to fall remains under investigation.

"We strongly discourage people from riding on the bow, because if you fall off, you are on the path to be run over," Kirkland said. "It's possibly the most dangerous place you can be on a vessel."

FWC officers can issue a citation to the operator of a boat for allowing people to ride on a boat's bow.

Kirkland said it's too early in the investigation into Sunday's accident to know whether anyone will be cited for anything.

"They are still sorting things out," he said.

Elboim was helped back into the boat after she fell and was taken to a private boat dock in the 5400 block of North Shore Road, Innerarity Point Fire Chief Jim Pokrandt said.

"She had massive lacerations to the left side of her body," Pokrandt said.

Jim Gerritsen, 45, who owns the dock and is a North Shore Road resident, was outside and could hear the people on the boat yelling for help.

Art Lami, 45, a paramedic and Gerritsen's neighbor, also could hear them.

Lami said people on the boat started cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Elboim, and he also tried to resuscitate her after they made it to the dock.

Firefighters and Emergency and Medical Services paramedics took over trying to revive Elboim after they arrived on scene.

A helicopter was called to transport Elboim to the hospital, but in the end it was not needed.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

"They did all they could," Gerritsen said of all who tried to save the woman. "It's just a shame."





Rest in Peace, Michal. You brought so much joy and light to the world. It is a dimmer place without you. We love you and miss you very much.

Their version of Freedom vs MY version

"Livin' the dream..."

I have heard these words for the past two years going through flight training... goin' to school but also enjoying the life as a student aviator-in-training here in the lovely sun and sands of Pensacola. A couple of months ago, these words were re-introduced my way in another light: LTD.

LTD talks about livin' the dream, pursuing a business and eventually getting to a point of freedom. It educates and assists those who are looking for a way to get residual income by "doing the work once" and watching it grow.

I've definitely learned that aviators really live up to Work Hard, Play Hard. We study and work hard in our field to get the best out of life and even though we endure hardships of separation and things like that, we get to go out and defend an even bigger freedom, the freedom of this great country.

So lately, I've been thinking. As I sit here and listen to these Kates of fellow IBOs who are "living the dream" as well while they greet us as workers in the office, cubicle, or running errands, I feel like I am already living the dream. I feel like I am already on the road I want to be for the time being, and as the journey in my career gets bigger and better and more challenging, its worth the challenge. It's been so hard to get the motivation to accomplish these simple tasks as to help me in my business partly because I'm nowhere near anyone from the team who took me. I also feel that after SERE, I'm going to have to work even harder and won't have time to do these QIs and whatever else. This month I have been struggling on even completing a DITTO because I do a horrible job of keeping up with vitamin supplements that I'm really not even sure fly with the Navy. So not fulfilling my quota for the month just shows how I'm not really up to this and I want to say "See ya later" for the time being... just until I finish my career in the Navy and really have nothing else to do but open a business. Because who knows, I may already be satisfied with the way things are going. That's how I feel now!

And to prove it... I was soft winged today:



One of the last T-2 classes to go through CTW-6 before they send it away. Champagne and ice cold water never tasted so good, especially in 92 deg weather. It feels good to finally be finished with a year plus of training... tis time to move northwest!

Lolo's legacy

I wish I knew my Lolo.

June's almost over...

So as the month of June is coming to a close, the focus of the squadron is to quickly get our class finished, ready, and booted out the door. We're doing 7-day flight ops which is killing planned social time. However, with an excess of towering cumulus clouds in the Mobile area, we've briefed many missions but have been able to execute and complete none.


If this bucket were my Point A, this is what would happen.

But because of all the cancellations (after early wakeups), it leaves room to work on accomplishing the day trips I've never been able to do while living here during flight school. For example, I was able to get on a pontoon boat in the bay and discover Fort Pickens, an area across from the beach of which no one has access to unless you have a vessel of some sort. It was cool to be able to explore this fort in nothing but a bikini... I guess you can't really plan to sightsee around here, it just happens.

I guess the most random thing that happened this weekend was the bachelorette party. I wasn't really expecting to be doing anything really big, but the night turned into a penis-carrying ordeal which attracted mostly everybody who came into contact with our buddy "Wang Chen". He received many signatures and danced in at least 3 bars in Downtown Pensacola. Of course he belongs to Miss Sarah... but the rest of us girls (and even boys) had quite a few chances to wave this thing around and attract attention... not to mention a few free shots! (Sadly, I did not feel ANY effects from the alcohol due to the mass amounts of butter and MSG in my Japanese hibachi dinner)





The power of a woman with a penis is amazing.


On another random note, there was a baptism at church this morning and as the altar boy was lighting the candle and gave them "the light", immediately I thought back to the time where I was holding the lighted candle (lit..? lighted..?) and nobody had even noticed that my baby sister was really close to the flame--close enough to reach out, touch it, and CRY.

Alright son... I'm out for the night. Peace.

Prepare for Awesomeness!

I am typing this VERY SLOWLY.

Everything part of my forearms are very weak because of waterskiing and attempted wakeboarding.

Prepare for awesomeness!



I am very tired, but I want to go out. But I am too lazy. Ahhh... decisions, decisions, decisions.

The first FAM was pretty interesting. Like being back in a T-6 again! I've got 2 flights to Tallahassee on Sunday.

I really hope I can finish up to keep having vacations like this... getting sore is great especially when you're getting tan and dreaming about moving to a new place!

Well, I've got nothing else to say so... Until the next. Toodles!

(Sorry for the randomness... I know I promised awesomeness.)

America isnt like it used to be...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Wl5qRq0hgE&feature=related

This is horrible! What has America become? Somebody gets hit by a car and nobody even bothers to help him!

Cars on the road drive by just to take a peek, then keep going.

Bystanders group up to look at what happened... the victim seems to have cracked his skull and and is bleeding... yet nothing is done. No one rushes to check his condition or even to call an ambulance!

They all wait until the police car pulls up and takes care of the situation. But that's a sad display of how America has become. The morals aren't there, the citizenship--no one wants to be a good samaritan?

It's gotten so off that neighbors don't even know their own neighbors anymore! We preach and we preach, but we don't act as we say... its just really really sad.

It is about time that America again look to regain its compassion for others, or else we no longer will be that Free Country, where our civil liberties are handed to us on a silver platter, more or less. We sure take many things for granted, sometimes disgusting me.


HOW TO CATCH WILD PIGS

A Chemistry professor in a large college had exchange students in the class.

One day in class, the Professor noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back, and stretching as if his back hurt.

The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government.

In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked, 'Do you know how to catch wild pigs?'

The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke. 'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side. The pigs, who are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd. Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept
their captivity.

The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America . The government keeps pushing us toward socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops , welfare, medicine, drugs, etc. while we continually lose our freedoms - just a little at a time.

One should always remember: There is no such thing as a free Lunch! Also, a politician will never provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself.

In this "very important" election year, listen closely to what the candidates are promising you - just maybe you will be able to tell who is about to slam the gate on America.

"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have."

Thomas Jefferson

What Happened to Pochacco?

Amazing how my mind works. About a week ago, I discovered my cat had the fastest bug killing reflexes I've ever seen. I would just leave him on the porch and by the time I let him in for some fixins, there were at least 5 flying roaches dead or lying helpless on their backs. Fitz, my cat, doesn't even have front claws. He sucker punched them with his soft little paws...

Anyways, a few days ago I started noticing little things that I described in my head as "dead maggots" in random places around the apartment. I would be picking up parts of cat food around his plate and find another "maggot", throw it in the trash, thinking it was some sort of poop or something. I thought then it must be some sort of weird bug feeding on my cat's skin, so I quickly looked up pictures of fleas... luckily the pictures weren't anything close--these were much bigger than a flea.

Yesterday, my cat had been running up and down the apartment, chasing what I would call a sudden outbreak of houseflies. I thought it was due to the one big housefly that inadvertently flew in 2 nights prior and I just wasn't able to let it out. I was seriously scared that this thing would have babies or something, but I couldn't seem to find it.

So here I am, with a magazine, my cat and I tag teaming in the apartment, killing these flies that just came out of nowhere. I would find groups of them just hanging around the window screen... some would find its way to the litterbox... it was just so odd to have them all in the house at once. Every once in a while, I'd find a couple of them dead on the carpet--thanks to Fitz's cat powers.

Just now, another surge of curiosity kicks in and I'm thinking I gotta find out what those "maggots" were. So I Wikipedia the common housefly, and lo and behold, theres a picture down the page of fly pupae. The "dead maggots"! Apparently they were still alive and ready to come out! How was I discarding them? Picking them up with my bare hands, inspecting them, and dumping them into the trashcan. They probably found their fountain of youth in the garbage. Silly ol' me. They birthed themselves and grew which explained the sudden rise in population. So after looking at these pictures, I grew sick and typed in the first happy site that came to mind. SANRIO!

Which brings me to my next question... Hello Kitty and her friends are all over the page, but what happened to Pochacco????

Evil Mad Ducks

So I know why everyone in my class is acting so laid-back, nonchalant, lackadaisical, lazy, just so blah lately...

We're all getting pay raises and new ranks in a matter of days.
People we know are actually getting winged.
It's Memorial Day Weekend which marks the beginning of summer fun in the sun.
We're almost done!


To celebrate, here's a wonderful nature video I took of some ducks.



Stay classy.

Whidbey Island, Here I Come

Congratulations!

You have been selected for the EA-6B Prowler




No shit, this is what was written on the letter inside the soggy envelope I received after a tiring sumo wrestling match in the rain and slip'n'slide race.

I'm the blue one! And I won (I couldn't see it though while I was actually in the suit)

But anyways, we had a great selection. Not everyone got what they wanted, but I'm sure everyone will learn to love their gray jet in the end--we'll all be doin cat shots off a carrier and it'll be a great experience.

About the longest vacation in town I've had so far and I must say... procrastination and laziness were pretty much married this weekend. On top of that I became a poor person and learned to live off of dollars and cents. Really. I was also able to get an almost-perfect bronze tan at the beach. So this is how it felt back in A-pool. it's all coming back to me now...

This is next. The mighty OLD T-2 Buckeye. 9 sims and 12 flights in this 50-year-old baby and I'll be moving on to bigger and better things.

As for the deeper, I still find myself in many pickles. There's the question of career vs business, relationship with god, relationship with people, and my own personal goals. Sometimes I wish I had an continuous stream of encouragement bursting into my ear. Something to kick Procrastination's ass.

Any ideas are welcome.

This week, sunlight and fresh air is an option

Ahh.. yes. I've entered the week from hell. I'm trying to be available this week, but I'll be living in the simulators all week, putting in at least 10 hours a day. Sick, huh?

On a good note, I select in 2 weeks, I get paid in 2 weeks, I also promote (on paper) in 2 weeks. And my business is slowly getting there... I just wish I could buy more time, eh?

But we all wish that.

Here's another photo for your pleasure-seeking self.

Short, brief, but bittersweet

Whew.... I've had my break and then hit Reattacks ground school hard the Friday I went up to VA for the visit/meeting. You know its truly a business meeting when you have to schedule the time you have on "vacation". I am so glad I was able to meet the team
and absorb something bigger than myself. There were so many great people out there all striving to do the same thing and help one another become successful. So many great people to work with and a lot with different backgrounds and talents. It was also great to surprise the mother at midnight (she had no idea her belated wedding anniversary gift was coming at midnight, especially in human form). The reaction photos of mom were quite great... I crawled into her bedroom right after my dad entered and she thought I was my little sister ("...what are you doing crawling? Crazy...") then wrapping around the far side of the bed, I jumped onto the spot next to her and she took 2 seconds to look at me, then realized who I was and proceeded with the dropped jaw and squeal/scream. Twas great.


Is laughing while your mom is still in shock acceptable? Or offensive?

The XS chugging contest was a pretty sweet idea too... although I don't recall ever chugging down anything carbonated after doing the Dizzy Izzy on the baseball bat, it was fun to have a girls' team attempt what I like to call a "Man skill" in itself. I do have to say the highlights from our team was watching Chris Mamaril (quite reminiscent of Chris Kattan's Mango



Plus our Guzzlin Gobblers team was pretty sweet! I haven't seen spirit like that in a while, so the guys the wigs and Hokie Bird costume pumped me up when their intro song was Enter the Sandman! Didn't win, but hey, neither did we. (I mean, who practices chugging?)





The visit was short, brief, but bittersweet. I feel a lot in tune with my family and its easier for us to become more open because we see so little of each other. With the sister going off to college finally, I guess that's why my parents are trying to hang on to every piece of father/motherhood they have while we're present.

Now, with everything that I've learned this weekend, I just wish I could apply it as soon as possible. But just like karma, I have a time crunch and new material with this Strike/Fighter syllabus, and I must once again work on time management. Constant battle... I really wonder how I can pull this business off (granted its my first stages) with flight school almost over and the real job not too far off? It's my pace, but I'm waiting for an open hole so I can expand and have it work for me, because right now... I'm still at the bottom not living up to my weekly goals.

I need more time... I have enough motivation!