About Me

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I'm a married father of two, ex-Navy submariner, ex-power plant supervisor, ex-election equipment company COO, ex-corporate pilot striking out in the regional airline business.

Friday, July 17, 2009

And the GOOD news is.....

Those readers with some airline background will not be surprised to learn that there have been some changes in the Delta world since my last post. A week ago I was pretty certain that I'd be out the door on August 4, but now it looks like I may remain firmly planted into the CRJ right-hand seat until this fall, possibly November. Although I'm still on the furlough list, I'm ecstatic that I get to stay on a few extra months. So, instead of concentrating on the bad news, I want to focus this blog on the good news, not just in my life, but in those around me.

Cathy and I are healthy and happy, and have just spent the past three months working side by side with our condo renovations. Yes Cathy is out of work, and yes my paychecks have not been as miniscule since my early Navy days, but we're getting by and in fact we are having a blast this summer. Times are tough, but we've never been happier together. Cathy is soon heading to Newfoundland to attend an aunt's wedding and visit family, so she's very excited about that. Oh, I guess I should also mention that we FINALLY managed to catch that damn grand daddy carp that's been hanging around the boat!















As I mentioned in the last posting, Jamie and Brandon are also healthy and are meeting the challenges that mid-20's adults can expect, in some cases more than their fair share. Jamie continues to try to balance her personal life, work, and school and is doing an amazing job on maintaining her focus and priorities. Jamie works for a small family-run flooring business, and as you can imagine times are tough for the business and its employees. As she prepares to start school, like most Americans these days she is having to plan every penny she spends. Brandon is preparing to start the fall semester at Purdue University, and having just left the Army after 5 years, does not yet have employment lined up. Brandon is facing a very challenging course load, financial strain, and uncertainy of the future, but is focused and positive. Cathy and I are immensely proud to see that both Jamie and Brandon are taking positive steps to enrich their lives, even in these tough times. Many adults could learn a lot from their attitudes and persistence.

Speaking of attitudes and persistence, my friend Rick continues to not only survive with pancreatic cancer, but remain positive and energetic. When diagnosed with cancer over two years ago, many did not expect Rick to survive to see Christmas. Well, Rick continues to beat the odds and is enjoying his summer driving his beautiful Corvette around Illinois. There have been many soldiers labeled "hero" because they faced an overwhelming enemy with resolve and remained cool under fire. Rick may have never served in armed services, but he is no less a hero in the way he stands up to his enemy. I pray for the day that we can wipe cancer off the face of the earth.

Another good friend and follower of this blog Jeff has just recently passed the written exam for Senior Reactor Operator. Jeff and I served in the Navy together on the USS Casimir Pulaski (SSBN 633 Blue) and instead of ricocheting all around North America from one out-of-the-ordinary job to another like me, Jeff settled into a position in a nuclear power plant in South Carolina. Although he still faces simulator evaluations and another VERY subjective work evaluation before being licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Jeff's months and months of "academic hell" are soon to be over. If you pilots out there think a PC or RGS is tough, it does not even scratch the surface of an NRC license exam. Then again, the smoking hole we make when we screw up is nowhere as big as the smoking hole Jeff would make if he screwed up. Congratulations Jeff!

These are just a few examples of good news in my life and there are many more. Surrounded with so many good news stories, there is simply no way I can start a pity party about me being furloughed in November, especially when I think that a year ago, I never really expected to be hired by an airline to start with! So, for the next few months I’ll continue to fly every opportunity and will share my adventures. I recently had my first experience with St Elmo’s fire, and with flying from DCA airport, both of which I will share in future posts.

Stay positive and enjoy life!