Round and round....

From Evansville, Indiana to ATL then to PVD where the winds were gusting. I took that last two legs which included the gusty crosswind landing in PVD then a smooth one back in ATL. Providence did prove to be a little too much for me. I'm still getting use to feeling out how much actual correction I need to put in while I fly the plane down. I definitely do a lot better without following the flight director and just flying the plane down visually. Once we touched down, the Captain once again bought us lunch from Wolfgang Puck Express. He bought me a bags of chips and a Turkey Sandwich on a special type of bun. The bread was great and the meet was appetizing. I have to say that the meat itself was just some turkey from an Oscar Meyers package or something, but it was tasty. I'm really grateful to the crew for such a good experience. They raise the bar so high that I just hope that each of the crews that I fly with from here on out are that awesome!

Anyways, so, on takeoff from PVD, I wanted to do it the way another Captain taught me, but it didn't work out that well because I still wasn't aggressive enough. I'm sure that I'll have a lot of chances and days that demand a lot of perfection in crosswind landings and takeoffs, but I want to master this now. I'll try some flight simulator or something to help me out. Atlanta landing was good but it was cheap because the winds were light. It still wasn't the smoothest that I've done, but good enough.

I had to rush though from once we got the gate at D Concourse, I had to run to the C Concourse to drop off my pilot bag full of Jepps in the crew lounge, then out to security but I took a detour back on the tram to D. I eventually took the trolley back the other way to the terminal, went through security, and then to Gate A10. I had <1 hour from the time we touchdown to get to my commuting flight back home to San Diego. It worked out to where I was #2 on what was remaining on the standby list that didn't get assigned a seat but I checked in at the gate with about 20 minutes left till departure. The whole security thing is a mess. I guess that it proves and means well, but the hassle of going back out to just get screened then back in just to catch a flight home is a little cumbersome. If I did get checked this morning, then I wouldn't have to go through it in ATL, but Evansville is just quaint and we still get to go through the crew area.

I made it as the last person on the plane back to San Diego and I'm here just hanging out once again. I'm finally going to get my eyes checked but ASA's Vision provider stinks! No one wants to accept them. The name of the company, Spectera is just plain awful. I'm just going to head to LensCrafters who also just recently stopped accepting them because of how bad they were. I can't believe that the company that I work for provides this poor insurance. I might as well not have anything at all! I was looking forward to heading to my old optometrist, but he doesn't like them either. Go figure!

I met a really cool dad on the plane. He's basically all set in life and it awesome to sit next to someone that is just really full of positive energy and stuff. It was the first time that I commuted in my uniform. I did that only because there was 1) no point to change 2) no time to change. Now, I just read that since I brought some liquids with me, I have to commute back to ATL in uniform. Geez. Oh yeah, my gel also exploded in my toilettres' bag. It got everywhere! Thanks to Adelle for helping me clean it out! Alright, well, I'm excited for some new glasses and contacts. It's been just a little over 5 years since I got my last exam. This one is going to cost a pretty penny for both contacts and glasses.

London in 28 Hours = No LAX

This stinks...during a spontaneous trip to London, my sim partner and I who were very excited to get the new LAX base found out that ASA was closing down its LAX operations this June. Looks like I'll be stuck here in Atlanta. It's not really that bad of a thing, but I was really looking forward to handing out with some old friends and just getting back to a normal West Coast Lifestyle. This is the airline industry though eh?

Here are some pix from the 28 hours that Eric and I spent in London. International Business to and from London! Now that's the way to travel. 6 course meals and everything. It was the royal treatment. It makes you feel guilty for what you get. Because the original plan was for San Diego, that's what I packed for. I wasn't ready at all for the colder weather in London, so first thing was the find a store with a sale and buy a sweater. I ended up with a gray cardigan from Espirit. I guess if I was to do some shopping in London it was the right choice since the US doesn't have too much brand influence from these guys. Ironically, my sweater says New York on the left upper arm. Eric and I had some curry fries which just proved to be the best food for a quick snack.

Next trip is to Amsterdam or Copenhagen. Hopefully I'll run into some friends from a past life. It was an awesome choice but way too expensive. The dollar just under-performs the pound making it all too hard to "vacation" in London. But, you have to give it up to them for keeping it up there.

I miss you babe! I really really do. I wish that I could have come see you this past break.

of working slowly

The homework that we were assigned tonight consisted of completing 2 weight and balance cards complete with reading the dispatch, cargo load manifest and TLR. It really isn't that trivial and doing it over and over again will definitely make things easier, but I have to admit that I find myself sometimes adding here or subtracting even though I was suppose to do the opposite computation. I just have to slow down and make sure that I think more about it and work it out slowly. I enjoy doing them but just get frustrated when I miss a computation.

I had some Smokey Bones again tonight for dinner and Wendy's for lunch. I can't say that I've been saving my money but this hotel food thing is just getting to me. I'll try to be good.

I'm so proud of Adelle because she is helping me out in booking a flight back home this weekend and is on top of the new Delta Phone Travel Phone System. I love it when she takes charge of things. It definitely impresses me a lot! I love you sweetie.

My Scott Leather Jumbo Flight Bag came in today and it's freaking awesome! It smells so good and the work is just too perfect. Thanks a lot Dianna Taylor for fulfilling the no logo customization. I was surprised when it didn't come with the inside pocket, but I'll just have to order it later on. The Jeppesen Accessory Case will have to do for now. I took some picture phone photos of the case and you can find them on trelijah. I filled it up to the brim with some space to go, but I just can't wait to start lifting it all day long. The backpack thing and flight bag definitely was a good combo but now, I'm able to be a little more professional without the backpack deal. Maybe a side messenger bag or something would help out carry things here and there. On to the next purchase of my luggage bag from Luggage Works (formally known as Purdy). Man, this occupation is getting pretty pricey!

Enjoy the pics! Click on each of them for some comments of each.

of studying...

I need to study A LOT!!! I mean, like this past weekend, I only put in a couple of hours rather than the multiple hours I should have put in. I'm going to be hurting this week if I don't dedicate more time towards this. Don't count on multiple updates till the end of this week.

This past weekend was pretty chill. I got to go out back to the Lotus Lounge with Matty P and Kurt. That was a lot of fun and it just got me a little more points with the "scene" around here. I met an awesome bartender named Tim and the GM once again. It's a pretty chill place. The Raspberry Mojitos are awesome too.

Saturday was a late start with me just laying in bed recovering. I hadn't drink that much in a while but I definitely enjoyed myself. I just did some errands on Saturday. Best Buy, Barnes and Nobles, Sports Authority where I bought a kick ass water bottle. Since then, I've been drinking non stop! It's just so good. As long as I get the 64 ounces (~2 liters) or so it's all good for me. They say about 3 liters is the ideal if you are working out and are trying to diet a bit and that's exactly what I'm trying to do. I bought a pair of "diet" pants. I still wear a 32x32 but this one brand just doesn't want to work with me. That's my goal for the next 30 days. I'm also going to be doing some running every other night for 15 minutes. Hopefully that'll help a little. I also got some Nike Dry-Fit shirts on sale from Sports Authority but they were L and apparently that was gigantic so I exchanged them for Mediums. I haven't tried them yet, but I'm sure they'll fit too. I returned the shorts and saved some money. =)

I bought a new webcam because the last one I sold while I was in Luxembourg to a colleague. I bought the Logitech Quickcam Communicate STX for $57.99 because the next step, the 5000, was $89.99. I just happen to go back today and saw that the 5000 was on sale for $59.99, so I'll have to pick that one up instead. The only difference is that it has RightLight 2 Technology which probably won't be that much of a difference, but what the heck. I'm still debating on how to solve my external hard drive issue. We'll see soon.

I had Smokey Bones today which was a truly amazing experience. The prices weren't that high and the amount was a generous portion. I'm ready to have some left overs tomorrow for lunch. I'm going to try to not eat out at all this entire week. We'll see how long that goes with PB&J, Turkey, Ham Sandwichs, some carrots and whatever else. I still have some Cup-O-Noodle and some Ravioli things. I think that I'll do just fine.

Condolences to the family of the pilot who passed away on takeoff of the Continental Flight. I'm glad that everything turned out safely for the rest of the passengers.

Bears freaking just took that game away! I can't believe that the Chargers are losing Cam Cameron to the Dolphins. Hopefully he won't take that many people with him! He was a damn good offensive coordinator but he definitely deserves his chance. He would have taken over for Marty next year! I wonder why he didn't leave?! And we're losing our Tight End coach too! It's just all over the place for the coaching staff next season. Who knows, Carroll might end up down here! That would be pretty cool!

of missing someone and studying

Well, Adelle woke up early today to get ready to head back home. She let me sleep up until we needed to leave which was nice. I had a bowl of Lucky Charms downstairs which was pretty tasty then I drove her to the airport where we said our goodbyes. Then poof, she was gone and back in San Diego. It is really awesome that we can go across the country within 5 hours by jet. I'm still amazed at that simple feat. I can't wait to see what is in store in the next 15 years in terms of travel. So anyways...

Right when she left, I already felt sad. Just having her here for a week was awesome. We spent a lot of time together which was good. The good side to a long distance relationship is that it always feels like brand new after a period of absence, but the let down is that you have to start over again in aspects of "getting use" to each other. She let me study what I needed to and was definitely an excellent girlfriend. Thanks for coming beeb!

I went back home, finished up a couple of things, went back to sleep and then awoke to a friend asking me where the hell I was. When I got back into the room, there was no one left. That sucked. I ended up doing some laundry today, got a hair cut from a Vietnamese guy who did an excellent job (it was probably my first awesome haircut away from San Diego), found out from him that there was a Pho place around the area and a Ranch 99 just north of the city, headed to Costco for a case of Red Bull and PowerBars then some awesome $1.50 polish dogs and Pizza, then went to WalMart which rounded up that portion of errands.

Finally after that exhausting day, I studied from about 1740 till about 2100. I can't say that I felt like I got a lot of things done, but I was able to navigate around the panel which did prove good I guess. I can't wait to keep it up now that I don't have any distractions. Not that having someone here around all the time was a distraction or anything, but shoot, it's going to be a great week!

Oh yeah, I also ate in for dinner. I had some Chef Bo R Dee Ravioli minis with some triscuits. You just wish that you could have been here huh?

...to resist temptation

I'm not sure if you noticed yet, but as the blog is entitled "the battle," I'm going to try to make each entry somewhat related by completing the thought in the title. e.g.: the battle to resist temptation

Walking around the mall today with Adelle, I'm come to realize that my shopping habits have greatly been modified with me starring at prices over $19.99 for a shirt or pair of pants and just dropping my jaw. Finally, after many years of being a brand whore (still am for quality though), it's amazing how much you can actually spend on just a couple of items. I think that I am set in my wardrobe for quite a while as a lot of my close friends have told me. I still lack a couple essential items such as multiple pairs of khaki pants, a pair of black slacks (shocking huh), some deep colored jeans and a light pair. Back to prices, Lacoste sells polos for $76.00!!! That's awesome that they last that long, but my Gap ones lasted just as long and look good after the wash fade. Lacoste, not so much but rather, they look like they came out of my dad's closet. So, as this blog is titled, I'm resisting the temptation to buy outrageous priced items as long as I know that I have something already available to me at home or somewhere in my homes (San Diego or Florida), or the basic fact that I probably don't need it.

I did spend some money though, but it was on a long sought for pea coat. Over the last few months or maybe even years, I've been trying to find something that wouldn't make me look like a midget, a man wearing a dress and just feel good after I put it on. Every department store in the US is having a blowout sale of winter coats, and after looking online, I finally headed to the mall to purchase one. Banana Republic had a good one that was $50 off the original $198, but it looked like a mini black dress when I put it on. Macy's had a couple but they didn't finish right. But Gap actually had one that when I put it on, it felt right. I did take about 30 minutes of taking it on and off to finally just decide to get it. I couldn't make the impulse buy because of my recent monetary complications and setbacks. It was meant to be though. It rained for a good portion of the day which probably swayed my decision to finally just drop some cash on one and the fact that I have been wearing a particular black waist high jacket for years, I needed to mix it up a bit. The Gap coast was priced at $148 down to $99.99. Then at the counter, it rang up as $79.99 and the manager gave me a 10% damage discount for the thread that was hanging out all over some of the seems. Basically, the damage to it was some thread was left over in the seems. Nothing much, but hey, I got the extra money off! It was at a very reasonable price and its going to be the last purchase for a while.

I've been updating the trelijah blog quite a bit lately. You should definitely stay up to date on that if you dislike reading.