Same Ol', Same Ol'--January 3, 2010

Woke up at 8:30.  Did the typical routine:  pee, shower, breakfast, out the door.

Headed for the airport...skies were lookin' good again!  It's so cold here, though.  Not my cup o' tea.  I sure miss Florida strictly because of the weather!  It's 30-ish in the morning.  yuck.  Headed to the airport, then flew to my flight plan.

Then began the same ol', same ol' routine.  Everything was going fine...until I made a turn on one of my lines.  My computer froze for a second...then I was deluged with a ton of error messages.  Uh oh.  I paused it.  Then tried the line again.  This was my FIRST computer problem all season!  It had been going so well that I had even considered writing my parent company and thanking them for a nice "quiet" year.  Last year I had numerous problems!  This year has been great!  But as the story goes, my time was over.  For the next 45 minutes, I had numerous problems.  I finally switched flight plans to try to change it...but I still received errors.  I decided to land for fuel and lunch...about 45 minutes early...so that I could change out my drives.  Hopefully that would fix the problem.

I ended up landing at KACP in Oakdale, Louisiana.  Frankly, there is NOTHING to write home about.  I was the only soul on the entire airport...I looked and couldn't find anyone.  I fueled up my airplane (self-serve), then headed inside the single-wide trailer to see what it offered.  Not much.  I mean, it was seriously a trailer...easily livable...but just sitting empty.  It had a couch, a couple of beds, the full kitchen, and on and on.  A few old out-dated truck and motorcycle magazines, and that was it.  I ate some lunch and left a gift for them...and I beheld perhaps the softest toilet paper I've ever experienced (next to my grandma's!).  It was fantastic!  A welcome relief to any hotel or FBO anywhere else.  Thanks, Oakland!

I headed back up for the rest of the afternoon.  East, west, east, west.  Jeff and I talked about strip clubs and whatnot...an obvious continuation of last night's conversation over supper.  You never know what you will get at 4500 feet up.

East, west, east, west.  All told, I flew 5.6 hours today.  A fine day.

We headed to a BBQ joint for supper.  Frankly, it was pretty blah.  I mean, it was decent...good food.  Just too quiet.  I enjoy seeing people...interacting with people...and this was just an order upfront, seat yourself, type of deal.  Blah.

We came back to the hotel.  I ended up staying in...the other guys headed out.  It was nice to just have some me-time.  I ended up finishing the Lindbergh biography...a great ending.  Lindbergh died just like the rest of us.  It's a very healthy reminder...someone so great, so influential, someone who has influenced my life more than I'll ever comprehend or understand...and yet gone.  A quick death, a quick burial.  Just like that.  I also chewed on the whole relationship aspect of it, too.  The book was well-written in the fact that it dealth with Mrs. Lindbergh just as much.  It wasn't always healthy (very rare, actually!), but it was certainly neat to see how the two interacted...how Charles gained strength from a relationship...yet abused it so much.  I see so much of me in him!!!  Or vice versa!  But yeah, having come off of Florida...it was definitely fodder for thought.

I also talked to Dani for the first time in a couple of months.  Just chatted online.  We picked it right back up, though.  I'm eager to see where this goes!

Went to bed at 12:30 A.M.

Trees, Trees, Trees--January 2, 2010

Woke up at 3:25 A.M.  Ready to go!  I felt so much better.  But went back to bed.  Woke up again at 4:40.  Again, very awake.  Went back to sleep.  Finally woke up again at 7:05 on my own.  No alarm needed!  I love it.  Headed for breakfast.

Grabbed breakfast, then waited for 9:00 o'clock to roll around.  We needed a rental car, but they didn't open until 9:00 o'clock.  I had one reserved two days ago, but they wouldn't deliver it to the airport without me there...and yesterday was a holiday for them, so0ooo....

Called at 9:00, picked up at 9:15, out of their office at 9:35.  They gave me a different rate than what I reserved it at.  I HATE rental cars...Enterprise repeatedly does this to me.  It's so frustrating.  I have to take in my paperwork to them (for the umpteenth time) and show them that they are indeed at fault again.  C'mon, guys.  Why so shady?

Came back to the hotel, picked the guys and luggage up.  Yeah, we're moving.  Our hotel does NOT have the wireless internet they described.  It's there, but we can only get it from the hallway.  No thanks.  Oh, well...I won't miss this place too much.  A toilet that flushes poorly, a tub that leaves you with 4 inches of water at the end of a shower, a nasty smell of 40-year-old hotel when you walk in your room...not my cup o' tea.

Headed for the airport.

Was on station at 10:44...a full hour late.  grr.

Flew the next 4 hours.  Back and forth.  East and west.  A long day.  Yesterday I actually hated flying.  I just didn't like it.  It was one of those days to put behind you.  Today was...well, just ok.  No real passion.  Just going through the motions.  Discipline.  But I got another 4.6 hours.  Of pine trees.

Came back, went to our new (and MUCH nicer hotel).  Then went out to eat at Texas Roadhouse.  The love of my life.  I gorged myself on rolls, sweet tea, and the steak kabob.  Cute waitress, too...kind of weird experience.  She just kept on looking at me.  Goofy.  The other guys noticed.  Anyway.

Came back, spent the rest of the night in the hotel.

Just a great night all around.  A good day.  Nice flight time, great conversation with the guys, and some time to myself at night.

Oh, while we're at it, we talked about strip clubs at one point tonight.  How a guy's wife is ok with him going.  Even wants to tag along.  I said I feel that's shady...that it's encouraging a guy to want what he can't have...what isn't his...and the wife is supporting that.  I said it only leads to lust.  Anyway, it was surprising to me to hear a wife ok with that, although I know it exists.  I think I'll be surprised the next time I hear it, too.  That's the truth.

Silly life.

Looks like another full day of flying tomorrow...

Went to bed at midnight.