State of the Union

I guess it's right about time for me to post again. My wife was... kind (I guess) enough to point out to me that I have to post more, because I used to be funny. No pressure, right? On the other hand, by this point I'm sure no one even bothers to check this blog for updates anymore, so no one will notice if I fail at being funny in this particular post. Because, I have to admit, I can't do funny on demand. Come to think of it, I'm not particularly good at doing ANYTHING on demand. How disappointing for Jenny. :(

I miss flying. (See? That wasn't funny AT ALL.) I know I took that ride in the Super Cub out at NTMA a week or two ago, but other than that I haven't flown since January 15. That's a LONG time to go without doing the only thing that makes me even remotely cool (and even then, I'm working from a HUGE deficit). And I'm not sure when I'll get another chance to get back up in the air. I'm supposed to be doing some review work on my instrument rating, but with practicals still looming in the unknown distance, I feel like I really need to focus my mental energies on that. Plus, it's been extremely windy here in southeast AZ for the last couple months (ah, spring in Douglas), which isn't conducive to flying Spam cans (as one of my classmates calls the type of planes I usually fly). I will say, though, that I'm giving serious consideration to the idea of pulling some money out of my flight account in June, and renting a plane while we're in Michigan. The plane that I used to train in in Saginaw, is the same model (and even the same year, I think) as the smaller planes I fly out here at Cochise. I've got over 100 hours logged in that type of plane, so it shouldn't take any effort at all to get checked out in the one in Saginaw, if I decide to go that route. (Hint: this is the time to start begging for plane rides for you and your kids [if you have kids] if anyone is actually reading this post which, again, seems terribly unlikely). It would be bloody fantastic to FINALLY take my wife for a plane ride (no, she STILL hasn't been up with me). We'll have to think and pray about this one some more.

I've also had something else floating around in my mind lately. I'm not sure what to make of it yet, though.

On the AMT front, I'm STILL waiting to do my practicals. The good news is that there are only 3 of us left who haven't done them, and the examiner did two students at the same time this past weekend, so my turn is definitely coming. I'm going to guess that, if I pass, I will be a certificated (not "certified"; the FAA likes "certificated". They also say "practicable" instead of "practical", as in, "The pilot in command will land as soon as practicable." Weird, I know. Oop, I'm off on a rabbit trail!) mechanic with Airframe rating, by the end of April. In the meantime, we've started Powerplant. In fact, today marks the start of week 2 of Powerplant. I'm enjoying it quite a bit so far, but there's so little new information to occupy us for the next 3 months, that our days are a little... short. We're supposed to be in class 7:30 til 3:00 Monday through Thursday, but even with the thirty-minute morning break and the (roughly) half-hour we waste chatting at the start of class each day, we're still out for the day by 11:00. That's nice, because it lets me eat lunch with Jen. But it also sucks, because then I either sit around campus until 5:00, or I go home and have to come back at five to pick Jen up from work. Sometimes being a one-car family is just a little bit lame. There are worse things, though, I suppose. At least I've got my Pokerman (no, you're not supposed to get this joke; it's for my wife's enjoyment only. And no, it's not dirty. Shame on you for even thinking that!).

So that's what's new with me. I think I'll go study some more now. Nah, who am I kidding? I've only got about 40 minutes until I have to go get Jen. That's hardly enough time to study.