I had some dental work done today. The dentist said that he would rather pull 12 impacted wisdom teeth than have another one like mine. It was fused to the bone and took an hour and a half to hank out of my mouth. He added that it made his top ten list for most difficult extraction.

Ya see, it's important to never settle for mediocrity in any part of life.

So I took the Penicillin and the Lortab and felt pretty good. After 6 hours I took the next penicillin and about 5 minuets later felt light headed, nauseous, and my entire body tingled. Five or six years ago I gave blood at a church blood drive. When I stood up after giving the blood I felt heavy, and was about to pass out before I sat down and drank some juice. Its not just a light headed feeling, it was more like a sense of impending doom. I was feeling the same feeling today. I realized that I had not eaten a couple of days because of the mouth pain I was experiencing. So even though I was feeling sick, I knew I should get something more substantial to eat. I called to my roommate Noel but he didn't answer. If I was going to get something to eat I needed a ride to the store. I wasn't able to drive. As I stumbled to the refrigerator I experienced incredible hot flashes. I thought it was menopause until I realized that I had my ovaries and uterus removed years ago! The moment I opened the refrigerator I closed it again and ran for the sink. I even made it to the disposal side before anything happened.

Lesson 1: Don't take pain killers without eating something more than pudding and crackers.

Posts

Blogging can be a difficult process because there are times when I am writing to keep people informed of what I'm up to; then there are other times when I just want to express a thought, or emotion. For the later post there is no intended audience. These are just my attempt to figure out where I stand on a particular subject and then put it out there.....in the web universe.

What kind of post is this? Both i suppose.

Pre-planning

I ran into some difficulty on my last flight; a cross country from Salt Lake City to Pocatello, Idaho. I am flying in a new airplane these days. Its a twin engine Diamond airplane. Here is a picture. This was the first time that I had taken the airplane to an airport that I was unfamiliar with and had a vague knowledge of the layout of the airport. From the map on the right hand screen in the cockpit I knew that it had 2 runways and from the conversation with the tower I knew which one I would be landing on.
I looked down at the compass and saw that the runway, labeled 03, would run from the south west to the north east. When the airport came into view I lost confidence in the mental picture I had formed in my head and doubted which runway to land on. More on that later, I'm getting ahead of myself.

As my instructor and I were enroute, we planned a point on our route to start to decend to the airport. The computer in the airplane will actually ask the pilot to enter in the altitude the aircraft should be at and at what point. So I tell the computer to put the plane at 1000 feet above the runway at the airport. With that information the computer plots a point on the moving map labled as the TOD or Top of Decent. This is the point where I need to decend in order to make it to the proper altitude. Now the rate of decent depends on how fast the airplane is going. It makes sense that at a faster speed, the aircraft is going to decend at a faster rate to make it on time. So 30 miles out or so the computer tells me to decend and we are zipping along at 150 knots. A knot is about 1.3 mph. At this speed i was decending at about 700 to 1000 feet per minuet. This isn't a problem usually. But I have forgoten that I told the computer to put me at the pattern altitude right over the airport and not a few miles from it which is what I should have done. So now Im in a new airplane, a fast airplane, and I am way behind.


With other planes I have flown there is a set pattern and procedure for when and where to do things such as lower gear, flaps, pull power and other things. If these things are not in the checklist the instructor usually tells you the policy for the particular aircraft you are flying. These things were not written down and there was no discussion as to when the best time to deply these things.

So now I am on the base leg and need to make one right turn to line up with the runway and land. My airspeed is about 130 kts. 40 kts too fast! Remember, I'm still trying to decend, and pointing the nose lower to do it not sure when I should lower the gear or flaps. Lowering these things do two things. They slow the plane and alow it to decend without having to lower the nose as much. So now I'm worried about my speed, I lower the gear and flaps late, and my final leg of the flight looks more like an "S" curve than a straight line to land.

I spent tonight coming up with my own procedure for lowering the gear, and flaps. At the point of decent the plan is to pull the power back to about 50% of available power and start to slow down early. I forgot to mentiont that this airplane is made of composit fiber and is a very clean aircraft. It does not like to slow down. For a non standard pattern or straight in approach I will be at 100 kts 10 miles out. Five miles out I will put the gear down and the first notch of flaps. On a standard pattern to landing the speed will still be 100 kts 10 miles out with gear and first notch of flaps at the midfield point on downwind.

I don't feel too bad though, this was my 3rd flight in two years.

Why I Joined

I was recently asked why I joined the Army. These are the reasons.

1. I grew tired of stories about soldiers taking the fall for illegal orders given from higher up the chain of command. No soldier under my command will ever have to worry about the legality of their orders

2. I did not like the way soldiers were treated while recovering from wounds received in battle. No soldier under my command will ever have to worry about fighting the Army or VA for medical benefits.

3. I joined to be a better leader than those I saw screw things up. I'm not the best at many things. I am very good at leading and taking care of people.

4. I am a good pilot.

5. I did not like how war heros in Iraq were dealt with when they came home and were treated as criminals as they suffered from PTSD and depression from their combat experiences.

6. I joined because I knew I could do it better than the idiot officers I saw on the news screwing it up.

Now that I have joined, putting my money where my mouth is, I have the right to take issue with the things I don't like. I look at everything with a critical eye. I study, listen to, and verify the facts that are discussed about issues that affect you and me. As an American it is my duty (as I see it) to know about the issues enough to see the oft-used misdirection and avoidance of our elected idiots. Imagine what this country would be like if we had a truly educated electorate! So when I see crap I don't like I make sure it doesnt happen on my watch.

The class of 92.

A few months ago I started getting into facebook. Through that social network I had a chance to rekindle old friendships and actually start new relationships with my classmates. In high school I was the yearbook photographer and in the band. These activities do not lend themselves to building lasting relationships with the brats going to school with you.

Last weekend I traveled back to Caledonia to attend our 15 year reunion. Don't do the math....it wont make sense, just go with it. I had the time of my life. I met some of the most humble, interested, and fun adults. I was kinda nervous going in but was in contact with people via facebook on the trip over and when I got to Lake Side park in Caledonia I felt right at home.

We had a barbeque and got to know each other. Then we went to a local sports bar where they drank and I socialized. After that, the decision was made to head over to house of the parent's of a girl's to have a bonfire next to a lake. I agreed to go and had a great time there. We roasted marshmellows, talked some more, and jumped in the lake naked. Yes. And it was my idea. Take THAT.

Needless to say, expectaions are high for the 20 year reunion in 3 years. Like I said...dont do the math.

The pressure is incredible. I have to finish school this semester. There are only 7 weeks left! I have Biology, English, Algebra 1050, a 40 page paper, my commercial multi-engine rating, and human sexuality class to finish. Out of that list, the algebra and the rating are the most stressful.

Algebra is a horrible subject. It scares me. I feel like im 14 again and failure is inevitable. My fear of algebra is not normal for sure.

So after i was commissioned the dead line for finishing my degree was 18 months. I also have to be in my next army school in 18 months after my commissioning as well. So as far as my army career goes, there is a lot riding on me getting this done. Ive noticed that dealing with this last semester and the pressure to get it done has really limited the emotional capacity to deal with other issues. I don't feel like im going crazy but I can't imagine how married people do it. Having to deal with this and be able to be a responsible as a husband and father would boggle my mind. I don't know how the married brothers deal with these types of stressors.

One difference that I have noticed is the spouse. It is sooo beneficial to have someone there to listen to the stresses of the day and then push and motivate you towards the goal. I am NOT a self motivated kind of guy when it comes to school and homework. The motivation for me is that I have done something good; earned a commision. Now I want to keep it. I can't imagine messing that up.

Michael Jackson


Thinking about Michael Jackson and his death got me thinking about being misunderstood. Thinking back to the filming of the Pepsi commercial that was burned during. The fire burned his nose, face, and hair. What does this have to do with being misunderstood? Consider that when a black man is burned his skin becomes and heals lighter in color. The nose on his face was very burned and had to be reconstructed.

Does this answer questions about why he wears a mask?
Does this answer questions about why he worked to lighten the pigment in his face?
Does this answer questions about why he would have a complex about how he looks?

MJ was 50 years old and weighed 105lbs at his death.
Long term eating disorders take a huge toll on the body and heart.
Why do a 4 hour exam on a guy if you aren't worried about his health?
The guy was good looking and and so recognizable across the world. What would this accident do to your perception of yourself?

So many people judge the guy for things beyond his control. He will certainly be judged for his faults and his creator will take care of that.