Break-up Week

Three couples I know have called it quits this week. One has not
yet "finalized" the deal, but it's gonna happen. Sad. Glad I didn't
get married.

Last night I answered my phone to hear "Turning Japanese" on
the other end. It took me a second- but then I realized the joke
was on me. VERY funny.

Such an odd floundering week. Work has been a bear, friends
having problems, and well the family has been in rare form.
My Brother and Mother had birthdays this month. Yesterday
we were to celebrate both. My other Brother and Niece ignored
the fact it was his birthday. To say he was offended, well that
is an understatement. Ignore their birthdays and there is hell
to pay!

There is so much more going on, yet I haven't got the words
to describe how I feel, or how (of if) I'll deal with it/them.
Sometimes I completely fail to understand the world around me
and the people with whom I interact. Once again there is
a feeling of being "lost" and disconnected from just about
everything. I feel like I'm a bad person, and no one likes me.
Before going into a wild tirade or writing what is so deeply
personal that it's hard to express, rather I'll stop here.

Off to Atlanta in a few hours, recurrent training takes place
this week. ICK!

....... j.

Oopsie!

Today the Company realized they don't have coverage for
me while recurrent training is going on. Oh well, they've
known about it since MARCH. They tried to get me to change
dates, but I just won't.

On a brighter note, Tom and Andrew are now in the process
of getting hired. Andrew and I have birthdays one day apart.
We'll either get along great, or kill each other. I think it will
be a good fit. Boys, your drug-test paperwork is in my office,
along with ID paperwork. The rest should be here in a day
or so. It will be an interesting adventure.

Tonight will be a LONG adventure. 0320 departure for
Ramstein. It's gonna suck- but tomorrow will be a fallow day.
The weekend will be busy, and I need to pack for the week
in Atlanta. Dread that: I avoid the place like the plague.
Who knows when I will be able to get ready - but it needs
to be addressed. Whatever.

My "home office" project is almost done. There are some
things that need to still be moved, and I need some addtional
storage solutions for paperwork and the like. The best thing
is not buying stamps. The new dymo will take care of that
for me. The lighting in the area needs to be addressed too-
but that is gonna have to wait, you know??

The other day I got some new cookware off of Ebay. It will
either be for me, or probably a great gift for someone. Sitram
is a French company, and makes an excellent product. I
may even replace my All Clad with this stuff.

Okay- gonna split for a while. Be good!

One day closer to death

Although my schedule isn't as bad as Tom's (but he's a whore)
the next two will try me. Today early morning, tomorrow late
night. Saturday, 6am to 8pm. Can't wait for that joy ride.

My brothers house is coming along nicely. He hopes to be in
sometime late next month, just in time for Winter! All he's
gone through will be worth it. The next challenge will be
dragging all of his stuff out of storage and getting it in the new
house. The old house should come down any time now. He
wants that done just as badly as the new house being finished.
Ask him about the State grant he got. 20K for a septic system.
You see, we have a "flush tax" in Maryland- and because of
where he lives, the grant money comes easy. He applied and
was approved almost immediately.

Last night at 1am (or should I say "this morning?") HSN was
selling Christmas junk. Battery powered light up wreathes.
Need a plastic Christmas tree and plastic decorations to go
with it? They got it and will ship it to you. 3 months to the
day from the "big event." Give me a break, can't we wait
another month or six weeks?? Is that too much to ask?

I'm battling sleep right now- so another pot of my super duper
traffic stopping extra caffeinated coffee. This is an exact
science requiring mixing several different types of beans in
order to maximize the punch. Let me get at it while my
eyes are still open!

It's here

Fall, that is. The other day I was parking one of the MANY aircraft
that roll through this station and noticed trees changing color. While
I enjoy the colors, and the change of temperature, I loathe what
comes next.

Today a good friend sent me an email to tell me that their marriage
is over. To say I'm shocked and extremely distressed by it doesn't
say it correctly. She is one of the only people I've ever known that
has been a consistent friend to me. If I could make it right for them
I would.

On a brighter note, my desktop is working properly! We ran all
the stuff from the Intel website. Windows XP didn't have the
drivers needed for the mother board. So, my little home office
will come back to life. I'll be able to print stamps, fax, and do
all the all the good stuff that is difficult now.

Another tin bird is hitting the ground, so it would be good to meet
it!

Featherd and Tin birds

The Egrets are on the move for the incoming fall season.
There were a number of them in the park again today along
with Great blue and regular blue herons. A doe let me get
within 5 feet of her. She just looked at me as if to say" I
see you and don't really care."

We had 4 MD-11's today. Three at the same time. It
was not a pleasant situation. To say it require me to
run around like a nut is an understatement. One on F-16,
one on E-3, one on E-8. ASIG actually did a great job today.
They really came through.

Tonight I'm going to start reading "In the wake of the
plague." It details the black death in Europe in the 14th
century. The things it changed, and how it shaped the
world as we know it today.

Okay- Be good!

Along came a spider

A black widow spider that is. She lives out behind the
warehouse. While I'm not fan of spiders, she is actually
really cool. She just works her web, and leaves us alone.
Normally I'd kill a spider, but this one has my respect.

We remain extremely busy. if we live through the
weekend, we'll all be happy. Four tomorrow, and
Four on Friday. Did I mention we have to drop an
engine on a plane to fix a line?

So far this week, I've been "volunteered" to handle
hotel reservations, build fly-away kits for aircraft,
and hunt down a manifest because someone was
too lazy and stupid to make proper provisions to keep
it in a safe place. When I explained I would try, the
response was "it's a safety issue, you have to." Uh huh.
We'll see.

Okay- gonna go home in a bit. Be good children!

It's coming!

Last night I ran the heater in the car. Same thing this morning.
The cold is coming. Ick.

While the break from intense heat is nice, I dread the coming
winter.

Work has been a bear, so this is gonna be short. Be good!

Defenders Day

What you ask?? Defenders day. Today we celebrate the Battle
of Baltimore during the War of 1812. Think "Star Spangled Banner"
should you be uncertain. The British had burned DC, then headed
north to "clean out the nest of pirates" better known as B-more.
Obviously they were unsuccessful. It forces the question: Were
we in the same situation today, would the residents put forth the
effort and make the sacrifices to save the city. (Answer: NO)

It's much cooler and dryer out. While in Downs Park we saw two
deer, and (count 'em) 22 egrets! What we thought was a noisy
great blue heron turned into a pond full of egrets. It wasn't a
Bodega Bay moment (okay, anyone get that reference??), but
really kind of neat.

Now down to brass tacks. Things here are insane. I'm worried
Pete is going to drop, or hurt himself. He's exhausted. Today
I asked if he were by some chance German, instead of of the
obvious Liverpudlian he is. What did he do? Give me MY
look of death. We're all tired and on edge. Someone help us!

Okay- off I go, work's a waitin'!

Dans le marais

Yes, boys and girls, it's a swamp out there. This morning when
leaving Downs Park I was soaked. Soaked as in put a towel on the
seat! It's been no better here at work. A LARGE supply order
showed up today, and by the time I was done with it, guess who
was soaked again? This is that odd time of year when the weather
in Maryland isn't happy.

Tomorrow starts the blitz. Four wide bodied aircraft descend upon
me starting at 1305. There is only one day until the 24th that we
will only see one bird. Joy! We have all day/night operations some
days, and guess who will not be a happy camper before it's all over
with?

Yesterday and today I've been thinking about "status symbols."
A Rolex watch, a Mercedes Benz, a fancy computer. The more
I think about these things, the less appeal they have. Why?
Well the folks I see with a Rolex on are normally the type of
person I won't associate with. The car: someone I know has one
and just the thought of being in the same category as them, uh
no. Funny how things change in importance to you. Don't for
a second get me wrong, I like nice things, but not at the expense
of myself.

Okay, time to go fight with the computer in the stores area!

FINALLY, caught up!

Today's work day started at 0515. We had a ferry in from
Leipzig, Germany, ETA 0618. It rolled up to the gate at
0632. Being a quiet Saturday, I got the bird done, the docs
stocked, and made a quick run to Annapolis, and to my
brothers house. My nephew Spencer is 10, and he needed
gifts (those are his words, not mine!) so he got some video
games.

Back at work, I settled in to get ground handling, security,
and cleaning bills done. Then I tackled the August Landing
and Parking report. Everything is done and caught up!

Have I mentioned that ASIG sucks? We took a 20 minute
delay for a departure schedule to leave 10 minutes after
our departure. Yes, I went through the roof. Yes, I told
them I would NOT pay for the flight. They better get
their act together!

Time to get the bird ready to go!

Low and slow

We've returned from what was a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity. (Oddly enough, The Talking Heads
"Once in life time" is playing on the radio!) The
DC-3 is a tiny bird, but what a unique experience!

She accelerated down 15-33, and the angle suddenly
changed- we were level; the tail was off of the ground.
Shortly after, so were we! The trip took us across
Anne Arundel County, then down the bay to Thomas
Point. A big slow turn up to Annapolis then across
South Baltimore and Ft. McHenry then back to BWI.
What whould have taken a few minutes on a jet
took an hour.

I must confess, when the tail lifted I got goose bumps.
To think the aircraft I was on had been built in 1937.
This aircraft was state-of-the-art in it's day. It was
THE way to go. "Flagship Detroit" is the oldest flying
DC-3 in the world.

Peter Wadsworth went with me. I wondered why he
wanted the aisle. Answer: to watch the cockpit, and
what was going on up there! Each of us were allowed
to rotate in and out of the cockpit and take as many
pictures as we wanted. The views of the area were
super. Some of the houses on the shore are truly
monsters. (Seb, remember the house in Severna
Park? These were 4-5 times bigger) Everything is
green and lush, and there were some gentle white
caps on the bay.

Many thanks to Brian Hammond for letting me in
on this, and Shawn Byers for giving me the information
needed to make it happen. What an incredible voyage!

Who could sleep?

American Airlines has the "Flagship Detroit" here.
It's a DC-3. Last night Brian Hammond told me
they were going to give rides on it today. I called
Shawn Byers at the MAA, and he told me it was true.

Obviously I didn't sleep last night for being so excited.
I was on the phone at 0730 with American to get "on
the list." Yes, aero-geek here was number one.

In 3 hours, I'll be on board, and I CAN'T WAIT.
When we get back, I'll post again. This is a once in a
lifetime opportunity, and there is NO way it's going
to pass me by.

Nothing.

That is what was done while I was away. Nothing.
The place looked neat, but nothing was done. Why?
Several reasons: 1) The person who was here to
cover for me is lazy. 2) It wasn't the way he does
things, so he didn't do it. 3) He is almost blind.
4) He was "just covering" for me. Today I've been
a crazy person getting things done and caught up.
Tomorrow, Landing Reports and bills. LOTS of
bills.

Hot pink. Yup, the new hang tags are hot pink.
Hideous. While I understand they need to change
them each year - - - hot pink? Bleck. I got 30
of them, and mailed most out today. The rule is
one per SASE. No stamp: no hang tag. So easy,
yet each year, I get them without anything.

My parents, and several friends have suggested
I consider moving to South Carolina. It's so nice
there. Now to find a job there!

Okay- gotta go yell at ASIG.

Can I puke now?

Tuesday I go back to work. It holds the promise of being
a nightmare. Nothing has been done for two weeks, and
nothing has been prepared for September.

September is shaping up to be an absolute horror. We have
32 international arrivals on the books, as of Friday. I
truly don't know how I'm going to handle it. I think some of
the flights (ferry stuff) will have to be met by ASIG, and
they're just going to have to deal with it.

My older brother came over yesterday, it was a really great
surprise. We wandered around the Annapolis area, and
stumbled on a place where they sell lobster rolls! Only on
the weekend, but woo-hoo, lobster rolls!

There are so many shows on about house flipping. Now, I
don't think it is something I'd wanna do, but there have to
be as many disaster stories as there are success stories.
Face it, one disaster could wipe out many successful jobs.....

Tomorrow is the 'last day of summer' enjoy it, we'll be
scraping ice off of our windshields before long!