Countdown... 1

JOhn will be home tomorrow, YEA!!

...and last night was my LAST ground school class and I am ever so glad to be done. I think the ratio of material learned vs. time spent in class was extemely low, especially for something I spen 12hrs a week doing. Free at last, flying to go.

First Aid for a Boeing Pen in the Eye

At work we have a en emergency response team and Charlie and I are both on the team. This means we get paged for medical issues and otherwise end up getting a lot of first aid training. This morning was one of those training sessions and we all got scenarios to "fix" each other up. Charlie and I lucked out and got some super special looking ones.



In case you need to know what to do if a coworker stabs a pen (and not just any pen a Boeing pen) in someone's eye, here is the proper first aid as I demonstrated on Charlie.


Subsequently, should I ever get a chemical burn to the face and eyes, please call Charlie who can very deftly administer this first aid and treat for shock to me.

Countdown... 2 days

Countdown...4

...days till John is home

How do you say fun in pilot-speak?

SOLO!!

It's official, I've now solo'd an airplane! I finally went up and solo'd Sunday afternoon! It was just three laps around the pattern at Ellighton, but all the same I've now got the endorsement for solo flight. Even though I was warned that with only myself in the airplane, it would be pretty a quick takeoff, I still wasn't prepared for how fast I came off the runway. I think I need to gain some weight or something because man the plane popped off the runway 5kts below the normal takeoff speed all of its own without me pulling back for the liftoff. That got my heart rate going, but its all good and I came back well... enough... not my best landings but still in one piece.

We also took another cross-country last night (with my instructor) to Huntsville airport and landing just after sunset. They have wildflowers in the grass around the airstrip, so here is also a photo of the plane in that rather pretty setting.

Next up: Solo cross country

Countdown... 5

5 Days until John is home!

Ann vs. Elizabeth

I finished reading Persuasion and several women commented before I started that their favorite Austen character was Ann from this novel. I had noted that Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice was mine. I do like Ann and perhaps can see why other women might like her best, but I still like Elizabeth best. Elizabeth is a lot spunkier and never ceases to question the situation and she has faults (e.g. the prejudice), which makes her more real to me. Ann is also a great character but she's a little too proper and not forward enough.

But I still loved both books as expected. Although, is it just me or does anyone else find that the first time you read an Austen novel its a little hard to follow in the beginning trying to figure out the characters? I always seem to be halfway in before I can relax and read knowing enough about the plot and the characters.

It's Arrived!!

Holy Cow! So the ATV actually made it to the ISS yesterday and didn't crash into us. As many of you know, I've been working on this project for close to 5 years now and seeing it actually come to life and fly is pretty amazing. It is also a little bittersweet of an event as well, seeing how this project has been one of the most frustrating experiences as far as working relationships go that I have ever experienced. I am happy to see it dock and be successul but I can't help but also be extremely glad that this means I will be able to put a lot of what has happened behind me.

As for the project, the ATV docking is really only the first step of what is supposed to do and the often overlooked part is the ATV actually supporting ISS attitude control and reboost and being otherwise USEFUL while its here. Most people seem to consider having the ATV dock be the end all be all, but from my point of view this is only just the beginning really. But congratulations to ESA and all those that worked on the project for getting this far. Let's hope this bodes well and the rest of the mission is just as successful.

Sleepy Time

Yesterday I had to be on-console at 6am, today at 4am for the ATV docking. But I had class both Tue and Wed nights until 10pm, so needless to say, I haven't gotten a ton of sleep the last few days. So here I am on-console and I sure and tired. Doesn't help that its 5-something in the morning and there is nothing going on. The ATV is still a far distant speck in the ISS sky but we still have to be here... just in case.

Maybe I will sleep a full night tonight... maybe.

Weight Loss WTF

So I know I live in the land of fat people (more commonly know as Texas) but I was in the car this afternoon and heard a rather awful radio commercial about weight loss. They said that medical sceince recommends diet and exercise as a means of losing weight only for those less than 80 lbs over weight and that for those that are morbidly obese it is recommended that you go get surgery and what not. Obviously, this ad is for a place that does lap band and gastric bypass type stuff, but I was a little mad that they would imply that people that are obese have been recommended not to eat better and work out. I shouldn't be shocked, but I am. This concludes my tirade for today.